When the $35 million Kelvyn Park South High School on Chicago's West Side opens this autumn, the school's indoor swimming pool will be one of the sparkling jewels of the institution.

For the contractors toiling on the project, it also proved to be one of the greatest concerns.

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In the early stages of work, managers of Chicago-based general contractor Walsh Construction Co. debated whether to complete the pool early or late in construction, recalled Walsh project manager Angelo Trapani.

Each scenario posed problems.

If the team waited to put in the pool, it would mean bringing in a backhoe and excavating the pool within the confined space of a partially enclosed structure. That, in turn, would require construction of part of the natatorium's exterior to be delayed to allow the backhoe to excavate material from the pool area and dump it in trucks outside.

On the other hand, constructing the pool early would force contractors to use scaffolding for the natatorium's "high work" - painting, ductwork and lights installation - because it would be impossible to bring a forklift into the completed pool enclosure.

Walsh decided to construct the pool early. And working on scaffolding was not the only hurdle inherent in that decision. The use of long-span joists 5 ft. tall and made of angle iron necessitated penetrating fire-rated walls, which meant a lot of cutting of block, Trapani said.

"That really slows down the mason, with all that cutting," he added.

"When the mason's running his wall up, you really want to get him out of there as soon as possible, because there are a lot of activities that have to take place after he's done, including painting, electrical, ceramic tile finishes and the railing for the observation balcony. And all those activities need to be done [sequentially].

"If it weren't for all the steel penetrations in the wall and the ductwork, the work would proceed more quickly. Because there's a lot of cutting involved, it slows the mason's work. And then the ductwork slows him down because he's working in a confined space when he's near the ductwork."

Completion by Aug. 5

The two-story Kelvyn Park South High School, 4338 W. Wabansia Ave., will measure 197,000 sq. ft. Construction started in February 2003 and is slated to be complete on Aug. 5.

Built on a composite slab, the school features structural steel construction with an exterior nearly evenly split between curtain wall, precast concrete and masonry cavity wall, Trapani said. The only areas of the school below grade are the swimming pool and an orchestra pit in the auditorium.

The building includes seven different components, said Ray Giderof, project manager with Chicago's Public Building Commission, which manages and oversees construction of public schools. They include two academic wings, an auditorium wing, a cafeteria/ kitchen/culinary art lab wing, natatorium/locker room wing, gymnasium wing and an administrative offices/library wing. All are connected by a central corridor.

Giderof said his biggest problem was coordinating the activities of contractors and subcontractors.

"The peak was like 150 to 200 tradesmen working at the school at one time, everyone from the steel contractor to the flooring subcontractors," he added. "The owner had to make sure the contractor's requests for information were answered in a timely manner and keep the schedule going. Knock on wood, we haven't had any challenges that would hold us back."

In addition to the natatorium, other focal points in the school's construction were the gymnasium, which is large enough to accommodate two full-size basketball courts, and the auditorium.

Scaffold Accelerates Work

Trapani said that to meet the schedule and facilitate finishing the auditorium space as quickly as possible, Walsh coordinated installation of a community scaffold. "We scaffolded the entire space for the subs to use, to complete all that high exposed work, [including] the mechanical systems, lighting system, sound system, painting all that exposed structure and the sprinkler system," he added.

"They had to work on scaffolds because the slab is stepped for the auditorium seating system."

It took a week for the scaffold to be erected, but once it was installed, all the high work was completed in five weeks.

As in any school, ensuring abundant natural light will reach interior spaces was important at Kelvyn. John Williamson, vice president and project manager with Chicago's VOA Associates, the architect of record, said a lot of thought was put into how light would be used within the building. For instance, curtain wall is not used extensively in the classroom wing, where spaces like science labs are inwardly focused.

However, "in the media center, there's an integration between curtain wall and sunscreen that allows plentiful indirect light, without glare," Williamson said.

"Curtain wall is used in the natatorium and media center, where spaces are more open. And the central spine [of the building] has a graceful kind of curvilinear ceiling, with curtain wall above that allows morning and evening light in from either side."

A Durable Space

Because their occupants serve up a lot of wear and tear, schools tend to be built like tanks, and this one is no exception, Trapani said.

Most of the interior corridors are masonry, and "you can't do much better than that in terms of durability," he said. For an added measure of long life, all interior floors are surfaced with poured-in-place terrazzo, probably the most durable of all floors.

The epoxy terrazzo is roughly .25-in. thick, includes marble chips and is poured in place by hand. The terrazzo not only provides unlimited design opportunities, but bonds directly to the concrete slab below, ensuring against delamination and water damage.

Just as the school is designed and built to absorb a physical pounding, it is also constructed to control noise migration, where necessary.

Acoustical panels are found in the ceiling over the seating area in the auditorium, while acoustical wall panels are installed in the auditorium, band and chorus room, natatorium and gymnasium.

When contractors have to work within tight city sites, material staging can often pose a problem. Here, it did not, because materials were staged in the gymnasium, Trapani said.

That space turned out to be the ideal location for staged materials because of its enormous size and the structure's four openings. "Each opening was about 9 to 10 ft. wide," he added. "It was easy to get lifts in and out, and to maneuver in there with equipment to stage material."

Giderof said he was anticipating a last few hurdles before completion, including having the pool certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the kitchen area inspected and approved by Chicago's Department of Public Health. "At the same time, we need to get a certificate of occupancy from the city of Chicago," he added.

"It's a lot of activities taking place simultaneously, a lot of coordination and making sure all requirements are met."

Trapani said Kelvyn was the toughest project he has worked on.

"But part of Walsh Construction's philosophy is to keep us challenged," he added. "So its overall goal is to make sure that ideally, the next project any project manager does will always be his most challenging. It's without a doubt my most fulfilling because it's the best-looking building I've had a chance to work on so far."