The new construction of Southwest Elementary School aims to expand learning opportunities for the district, allowing families an additional place for students to learn. This project provides flexibility, real-world authenticity in learning spaces, and offers autonomy for educators and learners to be future-focused. With a capacity for 750 students and 140 staff, Southwest Elementary will be divided into six learning pods, each with its own unique theme, color scheme and nature-themed label. Unique building features include core learning studios for collaborative and breakout spaces, flex learning spaces to promote collaboration and inspire student engagement, special learning areas for small learning groups; a media hub with offices and innovation labs; elective spaces including art and music areas; gymnasium/storm shelter; food service area including kitchen and student dining commons; administration offices, nurse/clinic area, and custodial and maintenance areas. The site will also include a car drop-off lane with a 65+ car stacking ability, a 165-space parking lot, three playgrounds for various age levels, and a multi-purpose field.
Renderings of the new Southwest Elementary School, courtesy of DLR Group.
Over the past month, the site has really started taking shape! Playground equipment has been installed in each of the playground areas, and site concrete (curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and pavement) has progressed on the North and East side of the site. Inside the building, a lot of progress has been made in the gym. The wall panels have been installed and painted, and the gym equipment has been installed. In the kitchen, the FRP wall panels were installed, and the kitchen equipment installation began. Light fixtures and acoustical baffles have started to be installed in the collaboration areas in each learning pod. In the Media Center, the ceiling, walls, and exposed steel have received the first coat of paint, and light fixtures have been installed both on the ceiling and the Media Stair wall.
During the month of August, he interior is continuing to take shape and become colorful! Each of the learning pods have received prime and first coats of paint and the ceilings of the learning pods and Media Center have been painted. Similarly, the gymnasium has received the prime & first coat; the acoustical wall panels have been installed and are currently being painted. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in has continued throughout the building, and work in the main mechanical room is just about done. The resinous flooring in the kitchen and nurse's room have been poured. On the outside, the chillers were set in the mechanical yard, and the Storm Shelter RTU was set. The playground equipment installation has also begun. We've got quite a few activities scheduled for the month of September, so be on the lookout for our continued updates on the project.
This month marked the beginning of the end! In area B on the first floor, final coats of paint have been applied in some of the classrooms, restrooms have tile and are prepped for fixture installation, and dryfall has been completed in some of the collaboration spaces on the first floor. On the second floor of area B, primary coats of paint have been applied, and tile installation has begun. In the media center, drywall under the stairs and catwalks has been installed. Progress in Admin has picked up. All of the overhead rough-in has been completed, the resinous flooring in the nurses office has been installed, and drywall is nearly completed. In the storm shelter, the acoustical panels have been installed and the primary coat of paint has been applied on the west side of the ceiling. Additionally, the storm shelter restroom stalls have been framed.
June was another busy and productive month! Drywall has been completed in Area B, TSF is wrapping up on the 2nd floor, and painting is already in progress on the 1st floor. The restrooms on the 1st level in Area B have all had the resinous flooring installed as well as the accent wall tile. Resinous flooring installation has begun on the 2nd level of Area B and will be completed soon! In the Admin area, drywall installation has started. In the kitchen, MEP rough-in installation is nearly complete. On the exterior of the building, the walk-in cooler and freezer have been installed, and the sidewalks have begun to be poured.
The month of May saw a lot of great progress! On the first level Area B, the classroom walls have been mudded and taped and are in the process of sanding on the first floor. The restrooms have received the prime coating of paint and the epoxy flooring has been installed. On the second level, MEPFP rough-in installation has continued and drywall installation has begun. In Area A, the MEPFP rough-in has continued in the admin area and has been started in the Kitchen area. In the Storm Shelter, interior CMU blocks have been completed and the MEPFP rough-in work has begun. On the exterior, the last of the vapor barrier has been applied to the sheathing, and the last bit of roofing has been installed on the canopy and Storm Shelter! Early in the month, the mechanical RTUs (roof top units) have been set and hooked up. And finally, the glazer has begun installing the aluminum storefront windows and glass for the exterior windows. This is the last piece of the puzzle to get the building dried in!
April has surely brough some showers! However, since we have the roof on almost all of the building, we have been able to push forward with progress on the inside! In Area B, the MEPFP trades have been continuing with their in-wall and overhead rough-ins throughout the building, moving from Level 1 to Level 2. Following behind them, the drywall and tape & mud crews have been closing up the walls and getting those taped, sanded, and prepped for prime paint coats throughout Level 1. In Area A, the walls for the administration area have been framed, and the MEP trades have started their in-wall rough-ins. In the Storm Shelter, the concrete topping slab and floor slab were poured, and the masons have begun laying interior CMU walls. On the exterior, the masons finished setting the brick veneer on the facade of the building, and began laying block for the gas meter enclosure. The roofers have installed the roof for the Kitchen, Commons, and Admin areas.
During the month of March, the precast concrete panels for the Storm Shelter were set. Inside the building, we have in-wall and overhead Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection rough-in work continuing throughout the classroom areas on Level 1, working its way up to Level 2. Drywall installation has begun on Level 1 of Area B1, and the framers are just about done framing all the rooms on Level 2. On the roof, the carpenters have installed wood blocking for all the high roof parapets, the framers have just about wrapped up exterior framing, and the roofers have completed roofing installation on Areas B2, B3, and B4. The masons have also been making great headway on laying brick around the exterior of the building.
This past month, the steel erectors have continued installing roof decks and detailing throughout the building. The roofer has started installing roofing insulation and EPDM; roofing has been installed on Areas B1 and B4, and Areas B2 and B3 are to follow. The framers made some great progress framing and sheathing the exterior of the building, as well as framing and beginning drywall on the interior walls. On the interior of the building, the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection contractors have continued to work on the various in-wall and overhead rough-ins throughout the building.
Due to the inclement weather we had during the first couple weeks of January, progress on the exterior of the building has been a bit slow this month. Despite the cold, the framers were able to make some progress framing and sheathing the Southeastern part of the building, and the roofer was able to start installing the low roof on the South side of the building. At the beginning of the month, we were able to pour the second floor concrete slab for the rest of Level 2 in the building. In the kitchen area, the masons have completed the interior CMU walls, and the steel erector was able to install the roof deck. Inside the main part of the building, the door frames were set in most of the Level 1 classroom areas, and the framers began installing the interior framing for the classrooms on the East side of the building. Similarly, the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing crews have been able to install their overhead rough-ins on Level 1. On the warmer weather days, we are working towards getting the building fully enclosed so that the crews are able to stay warm and continue working on the inside of the building.
During the month of December, the steel erectors installed the remainder of the decking on Level 2, which will allow the concrete crew to pour the concrete slab on metal deck for Level 2 the beginning of January. They were also able to set the roof joists in the kitchen area, which allowed the masons to finish laying the exterior CMU walls of the kitchen. After that, the masons were able to begin laying the interior CMU walls in the kitchen. The framers have framed and sheathed the North and East exterior elevation of the classroom area of the building, as well as began framing interior walls. The plumbers have been setting sleeved in the Level 2 decking in preperation for the concrete slab pours next year. They have also been setting plumbing carriers in the bathroom areas.
A majority of the work that took place during the month of November was setting steel. All of the steel columns and beams have been set in the building. All that is left is placing the bar joists in the kitchen area, placing metal decking on some areas of the second floor and the roof, and detail work throughout the building. Steel is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year! The CMU walls along the perimeter of the kitchen have continued to go up. After the bar joists are set, the perimeter walls can be completed, and the masons will start laying the interior CMU walls. We were able to pour the concrete slab on the second floor for the Southeastern area of the building! We were also able to begin some exterior framing on the Southeastern part of the building, as well as begin laying out interior walls in that area of the building.
In October, the building has really started to take shape! At the start of the month, we received our first delivery of steel. Steel columns and beams have started being set on the South side of the site. We continued pouring concrete slabs throughout the footprint of the building. We also wrapped up pouring the concrete footings for the Gymnasium. In the Kitchen area, we started laying the block walls (North side of the site). As far as site work, we were able to finish pouring the concrete footings for the loading dock, and we poured the concrete pad for the transformer. Finally, we were able to lay the first layer of asphalt down in our parking lot strip, this will be extremely helpful in keeping the jobsite clean during the winder months, as well as providing parking for our workers and space for materials to be stored!
This past month, we installed curb and gutter in the West parking lot area. In the classroom section of the building (the South side of the site), below slab plumbing and electrical work was completed. We also finished pouring the last of our concrete footings in this area. In the Gym, Kitchens, and Commons area of the building (the North side of the site), below slab plumbing and electrical work has been completed. The CMU block elevator shaft has been erected. Concrete footings have continued to be poured in the Gym area. The first layer of CMU block was layed around the border of the Kitchen Area. Then, the concrete slab on grade was prepped and poured in the Kitchen area.
During the month of August, our concrete crews have continued their work excavating, reinforcing, and pouring concrete footings throughout the building. Our electrical and plumbing crews have been installing underground electrical conduit and plumbing piping throughout the site, as well as under the building. We were also able to lay down rock around the perimeter of the building; this will be the road our cranes will use to set steel (coming soon!).
This past month, the new lane on Sinclair Road was added. We now have a dedicated turn lane for the new elementary school! The water line was installed underground. Work on the concrete footings for the building has begun; including excavation, installing reinforcement, and pouring concrete. The parking lot area was graded with Low Volume Change (LVC), rocked, and it is now ready to be paved later this year!
Construction work continues as more and more aggregate piers are drilled by the day and the new lane approach on S. Sinclair Road has begun!
This last month, construction roads and laydowns were installed. In addition, the earthwork subcontractor worked hard to complete the mass excavation, including cutting/filling soil on both the East and West sides of the site.
Construction work officially began this month. A construction entrance was created and construction fencing was placed around the perimeter of the site. The southwest corner of the site has been rocked and the job trailer was set up.
The earthwork subcontractor stripped the site and began mass excavation, including cutting/filling soil on the East side of the site.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 19th, 2024 to kick off construction of the new Southwest Elementary School.