The school’s new addition features a three-story glass curtain wall façade that leads into a bright and inviting student center. Beyond that is a spacious, open plan cafeteria that can seat up to 600, giving the school a new venue for events. The space also includes an expansive student center, a dining facility, multi-purpose areas and an elevator to improve ADA accessibility. The focal point of the addition is a soaring tubular steel structure that creates a collaborative space for students to study, socialize and access services.

Designed by Wight & Company and built by Gilbane Building Company, both located in Chicago, the addition officially opened in time for the beginning of the current school semester in January. As the original school was built in 1901 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Kevin Havens, director of design for Wight & Company, explained in a statement that the Wight & Company team wanted to honor the building’s history and its elegance. A portion of the original limestone façade, which features Gothic entrance doors, became part of the new atrium, while the school’s interior still showcases original relief panels, marble wainscoting and decorative cast iron staircases.

"The architecture team envisioned a space that would serve as the heart of the school, connecting the new with the old," Havens said in a statement. "Our atrium design references elements of the Collegiate Gothic style of this landmark building, but does so in a modern way that is light and airy.”

"Our design solution features one of the limestone walls of the existing school and treats it like artwork on the interior of the new structure,” Havens continued. “It’s an approach that is both delicate and grand."

Tom Roth of Wight & Company, who served as project manager and senior designer, said the addition serves as the new front door to the school. "We heard time and again from residents that they see Joliet Central as a beacon for the entire community," explained Roth in a statement. "Our design is a physical manifestation of that idea. At night, the three-story atrium glows like a lantern, making its strong presence known in downtown Joliet."

"This addition is about preparing us for the future, but it was also very important to us that this new building maintained the historic feel and flow of our campus,” said Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McCarthy in a statement. "The design accomplishes both just beautifully. It literally takes your breath away."

Groundbreaking on the project, which was shaped by a significant amount of community input, took place in May 2014. Construction was completed in several phases. Wight served as the designer and architect of record for the project, and also provided structural engineering, MEP engineering, interior design and landscape architecture services.
 

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Construction on the $176 million Hancher Auditorium, located on the university’s Arts Campus, should wrap up this spring. Soft-opening events are planned for this summer before the curtain officially rises on the 2016-17 inaugural season this fall. Exterior work on the building is about 95 percent complete, with 14,000 brushed steel panels all in place, reported Iowa City Press-Citizen. The 191,977-square-foot building’s interior, however, is about 85 percent complete. Minneapolis-headquartered M.A. Mortenson Company is serving as the construction manager on the project, while New Haven, Conn.-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based OPN Architects are serving as the architects.

The approximately 1,800-seat auditorium is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. Not only will it feature a multipurpose theater and front-of-house and back-of-house support spaces, it will also include rehearsal room, administrative offices and School of Music program space such as a scene shop, costume shop, recording studio and performing arts production offices, according to the university’s online project information.

The $77 million Art Building, also located on the university’s Arts Campus, should also be ready in time for classes in August 2016. The 126,597-square-foot Art Building will replace the former complex, and is nearly 600 square feet larger than the original in order to account for updated code requirements. The new building will feature art studio spaces, which are currently being housed in a former Menards retail building. Natural light will be incorporated into the four-plus-story structure, which is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Miron Construction is serving as the construction manager, while New York-based Steven Holl Architects and Des Moines, Iowa-based BNIM Architects are serving as the architects.

Located on the university’s South Campus, the $152 million Voxman Music Building is being built for the School of Music. It will include classrooms, teaching studios, a library, faculty and administrative offices, recital spaces and the replacement of a 700-seat recital and organ hall. The two first floors of the six-story building feature concrete, while a steel structure makes up the remaining four stories. The 189,289-square-foot building is designed for LEED Silver certification. M.A. Mortenson Company is also serving as the construction manager on this project, while Seattle-based LMN Architects and locally based Neumann Monson PC are serving as the architects.

Another major construction project scheduled for completion in mid-2016 is the 14-story UI Children’s Hospital. Construction on the $292 million hospital began in April 2013 and also includes a $65 million parking structure. The project will include 480,000 square feet of new construction and 56,250 square feet of renovated existing space. The original hospital opened in 1919. Providence, R.I.-headquartered Gilbane Building Company is working as construction manager on this project, while New York-based Norman Foster Partners, locally based Heery International and Atlanta-based Stanley Beaman & Sears Architecture and Interiors are working as the architects.
 

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Based on the results of a feasibility study by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the North Haven Building Committee determined a hybrid design was the school’s best improvement option. The design calls for construction of a new academic addition at the front of the existing middle school, demolishing the classroom wings located at the rear of the school and like-new renovations to common spaces.

The project team includes New York-based design firm Perkins Eastman; engineering firm Diversified Technology Consultants of Hamden, Conn.; Gilbane Building Company of Providence, R.I., which is serving as the construction manager; and Seattle-based project manager Colliers International.

North Haven Middle School was constructed in 1960 and currently serves approximately 773 students in sixth to eighth grades. The school was deemed “out of date and minimally adequate for a 21st century middle school,” according to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges report. Problems included significant roof leaks, air-quality complaints, necessary boiler upgrades and inadequate power.

The school’s academic addition will contain a number of new spaces, including classrooms, science labs, administrative offices, a nurses’ suite, an entry lobby and a media center or library. Classrooms will typically span 800 square feet and will be large enough to accommodate 20 to 25 students. The two-story academic addition will connect with the existing commons space, creating a dynamic, light-filled multifunctional commons area. It will provide a centralized crossroads for students, faculty and families to gather, connect and learn as well as much-needed breakout space for large crowds attending performances, athletic events and town meetings. The building’s glazing will provide an abundance of natural light and views of the surrounding campus.

“Perkins Eastman is pleased to join the community and leadership of North Haven Public Schools in transforming this well-used school into a new integrated learning and teaching facility where the next generation of middle school students can explore and develop their interests in an environment that is light-filled, comfortable and safe,” said Perkins Eastman Principal Joseph Costa.

The project team is also planning for other construction that includes accessibility enhancements; new mechanical, engineering, plumbing and life safety systems; new technology connectivity and electronics; new security systems; and new finishes.

Renovated, like-new projects attempt to optimize cost and eligible state reimbursement grants by taking advantage of an existing school’s amenities and virtues while repairing or replacing components that — because of age, code or educational needs — are no longer usable in a modern school setting, according to information from the project’s website. Connecticut encourages like-new renovations as an incentive to re-use existing schools by providing grant funding to repair or replace components that otherwise would not be eligible under statutory limitations. Typically, a town’s eligibility rate for a renovation project is 10 percent higher than the eligibility rate for an all-new school structure.

However, the website notes, it must be recognized that, by providing additional funding incentives, the state requires that the school be brought up to code and that the resulting school facility provide a life expectancy equivalent to that of a new structure. Consequently, comprehensive improvements, interior and exterior, must be included within the scope of the project and are not subject to discretionary consideration.

For North Haven Middle School’s exterior, the façade was designed for compatibility and continuity with the existing high school portion. Traditional sloped roofing tops the new academic wings while large overhangs provide shading and protect the building’s facade. All existing mechanical and electrical systems will be replaced with new energy-efficient digital controlled systems that will provide finely tuned climate control for all spaces. The school will also meet or exceed Connecticut High Performance (Green) Building Standards for energy efficiency, sustainability and occupant comfort.

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A dedication for both primary schools is scheduled for Dec. 7, and students will start to occupy the schools in January. Both of the primary schools’ new construction will provide about double the space of the old locations. The new construction at Springcreek is being built behind the current school, while the new construction for Washington school was built after the construction team demolished the former building.

Wapakoneta, Ohio-based Peterson Construction is serving as the general trades contractor on the primary school projects. The contractor, along with several subcontractors, is finishing up major construction items such as flooring installment in October and November, said Rick Hanes, superintendent for the Piqua City School District said in an editorial he wrote for DailyCall.com. Site work around the buildings including top soil distribution, grass seeding, sidewalks, asphalt and concrete driveways, and parking lots will be finished this fall. Final commissioning work for all of the mechanical systems will also be taking place during the next several months.

As construction enters the completion stages, the primary school buildings are starting to be filled with furniture, while loose furnishings such as desks, chairs, tables and cafeteria furniture will be delivered by November. Technology including telephones, classroom computers and pen-touch sensitive interactive projectors are being installed.

At the same time, Gilbane Building Companies, with offices in Columbus, Ohio, is constructing the new Piqua Central Intermediate School, which will have enough space to house about 850 students. Roofing installation is almost complete and will be finished by the end of September. Brick masonry will continue through October and into November with the goal of having window installation completed before the winter. Once enclosed, the interior work will progress, and the building is scheduled for completion in time for the 2015-2016 school year.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission is funding 47 percent (more than $25 million) of the three-school project, while the remainder will be matched locally by a bond issue passed in November 2011.

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An independent college-preparatory school for students from pre-K through 12th grade, the Dwight-Englewood School maintains an enrollment of approximately 900 students. To offer these students top quality STEM-based education, the Hajjar STEM Center will house eight new labs and seven classrooms for physics, biology, chemistry, robotics, and mathematics. The approximately 27,000 square foot building will also be home to the STEM faculty, a student greenhouse and a flexible school gathering space/robotics workspace.

“The growing global focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has created an urgent need to prepare our children, our future leaders, to become innovators in these STEM fields and to learn the way of thinking that engaged study with STEM accomplish,” Head of School Dr. Rodney V. De Jarnett said in an address at the groundbreaking. “Our School’s belief that we must educate our children to ‘meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better’ remains the driving force behind this vision.”

The facility was designed by international architecture firm Gensler, which also completed projects such as St. Phillip’s Academy in Newark, N.J. and the D’Angelo Center at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y. However, the design process was highly collaborative, involving Gensler architects and numerous members of the Dwight-Englewood School community.

According to an article on the project by Gensler education practice area leader Mark Thaler, the team met with educators to discuss their curricula and to understand how their facilities supported academic approaches, then designed the building with an emphasis on how specific areas would interact with each other. De Jarnett and a group of key stakeholders also visited more than a dozen STEM facilities throughout the region to glean design inspiration.

International construction firm Gilbane Building Company was selected to serve as the project’s construction manager, and expects to completion the new facility by the fall of 2015.

“We’re thrilled to create this unique, innovative learning environment for students that will restructure the school’s math and science curriculum,” said Ed Stevenson, Gilbane’s senior project executive, in a release. “We’ll work to ensure the STEM Building is a great source of pride for the Dwight-Englewood community for years to come.”

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Currently the College of Architecture and Environmental Design is spread across three existing facilities, utilizing just 70,000 square feet of programming and instructional space. However, the Design Loft will bring all students under one modern, state-of-the-art roof. As the building is also targeting LEED Platinum certification, that roof will include an efficient rainwater capture system, while geothermal wells will help it maintain a comfortable and energy-efficient temperature.

Upon completion Kent State’s new 125,000-square-foot building will include a number of open studio spaces, a first floor glass library visible to pedestrian traffic, cutting edge workshops and classrooms, and a large, flat-floor auditorium. The angular, four-story facility will feature several distinct glass tiers in a staircase format, and will house the university’s interior design, urban architecture, landscape architecture and traditional architecture programs.

The design was selected through a competition hosted by the university that drew submissions from 37 different U.S. and international firms. Kent State officials ultimately selected the design team of Weiss/Manfredi of New York City, which will serve as lead architect, and Richard L. Bowen Associates of Cleveland, which will serve as the project’s architect of record.

According to the university, the $40 million facility is meant to engage the broader community in design, and to ask community members to consider how design has created their daily habitats. “We hope that the site will offer inspiration to the next generation of designers and users who will experience what it is like to have a building meld seamlessly with its environment while having a positive impact on its occupants. This is the significance of the design; it will be a reminder of what the physical environment means to our daily lives,” said the university in statement.

Inside the Design Loft a continuous staircase on the building’s north façade will allow for generous amphitheater steps that connect studio critique spaces and create opportunities for spontaneous discussion. Slender clerestory lights will bring light into the center of the floor and improve natural ventilation, while the efficient form of the building will maximize daylight and minimize energy use.

“The studio’s tiered design informs the building massing, bridging the institutional and residential scales of its neighbors,” said Weiss/Manfredi of the project. “The massing and materials of the new building reflect the material context of the campus and the surrounding community.”

Though the school will primarily serve to educate the 800 students currently enrolled in Kent State’s design and architecture programs, according to Weiss/Manfredi, the Design Loft also will function as a site for new connections. As such, the building was strategically placed at the juncture of the campus and the city of Kent. The surrounding esplanade was designed to encourage more bike and pedestrian traffic on the campus, and is also directly adjacent to the existing Lefton Esplanade.

Expanding on the theme of connections, Weiss/Manfredi and Richard L. Bowen & Associates are working alongside construction manager Gilbane Building Company to complete the project, rather than adhering to the traditional design-bid-build format. The project is currently slated for completion in time for the fall 2016 semester.

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