Midwest School Renovations

Creating Spaces for Optimal Learning

by Paula Widholm

Orchestrating the flow of thousands of students through classes and activities at a high school is a feat in itself. Add in a major construction project and it would seem a recipe for total chaos.

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However, through planning and phasing of work, progress does get made on the construction site as well as in the classrooms.

“A high school is so busy with activity, so we’ve got to be cautious of the student traffic nonstop from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” says Scott Kennell, president of Indianapolis-based SCS Construction Services Inc., the construction manager on the $85 million transformation of Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis.

Two suburban Chicago high school renovations are also under way while classes are in session. Riverside Brookfield High School, which sits in the shadow of the nationally renowned Brookfield Zoo, is undergoing a complete overhaul to its mechanical and electrical systems, as well as some additions. Also, Lemont High School is adding classrooms and renovating spaces.

Decatur Central High School

The $85 million renovation and addition to Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis is a true testament to “form follows function.” Most of the 1960s structure could not be reconfigured to fit today’s technology-savvy teens who are geared to learn in small groups.

So, 192,000 sq ft of existing classrooms is being demolished. In its place will be a 450,000-sq-ft building designed to accommodate five small learning communities, essentially schools within a school. Each learning community will contain approximately 350 students and offer core subjects, but each will also have a different focus.

One community will have an artistic slant, another a math/science focus, another geared toward technology, etc. Students, with guidance, select which community to enter their freshman year.

The model brings rigorous learning related to today’s workforce needs, and it helps build closer relationships with teachers, says Donald Stinson, superintendent of the metropolitan school district of Decatur Township.

“We took the idea of how learning is different now to the community before we talked about the construction project,” Stinson says. “There was not one voice of opposition. The learning was the driving force behind the construction. It’s kind of like a college campus with different schools in the facility and some common facilities.”

About 100,000 sq ft, which includes the existing physical education and auditorium areas, will remain and be renovated. The existing pool is being in filled and turned into a fitness/weight room, and a new swimming pool will be built.

Part of creating a 21st Century learning environment includes bringing modern technology such as ceiling-mounted projectors and wireless technology into the classrooms.

Construction began in March 2007. Students will begin to occupy the first wing by August, and the project will be done by August 2010.

“There will be no other building like it,” says Anna Marie Burrell, project manager/principal for Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates, the project architect. “It’s not a prototype. It was fit for Decatur Central.”

Each two-story wing will house the small communities. A one-story central core will house the media center and cafeteria and form the hub where these communities can come together. “It will be set up to be like a coffee shop with sofa seating,” Burrell says.

By phasing the project, building new classroom space and then taking old classroom space out of service, there will be no money spent on temporary classrooms.

“We’re constantly making sure that for anything we take out, we’ve got something to replace it with,” Kennell says.

First, a new circulation route that wouldn’t disrupt the 70 buses coming in and out twice a day was created. Also, with the tight site, there was no room for a stormwater retention pond, so water storage was built under the parking lot using a pervious paving concrete.

Next year, the new education wing and MEP area will be operating. After that, another small learning community and administration area will be built. In the final phase, the second wing of the school will be completed.

Riverside Brookfield High School

As part of a $64 million project, the historic 300,000-sq-ft Riverside Brookfield High School is being overhauled and getting 100,000 sq ft in additions.

The project began in April and has been broken into phases.

Highlights of the project include a music department courtyard infill; new mechanical plant; new auto shop; new mechanical systems; renovation, lengthening and widening of the swimming pool; new dance studio; new northwest entry area (student services department, administrative offices, student commons and 10 new classrooms); new cardiovascular facility and field house; and new science labs.

The following areas of the school are being renovated: student and faculty cafeterias, library and computer labs, shipping and receiving area, student and staff restrooms, all corridors and stairways, all classrooms and existing science labs, auditorium and little theater, TV studio and the main gym.

“The main portion of the job is all new mechanical, electrical and plumbing services to the building, including new, more efficient lighting, a new sprinkler system and new fire alarm system,” says Andy Totten, project manager for Chicago-based James McHugh Construction Co., the construction manager. “The northwest corner of the building is going to be demolished and will become the new main entrance of the school.”

The tight, 6.6-acre site is landlocked; therefore, many of the new additions are being squeezed into interior courtyard space. Using a 350-ton hydraulic crane, McHugh lifted equipment up and over the school to build the music room last summer.

“The school has 1,500 students and is staying operational while we work,” Totten says. “We’re building in small areas with a lot of close coordination with the staff.”

The project will be complete by November 2009, which is the year the school celebrates its 100-year anniversary. The renovated school will have a 1,800-student capacity.

The architect for the project is Darien, Ill.-based Wight & Co.

 Lemont High School

The $29.6 million construction project at Lemont High School started in the summer of 2006 and is scheduled for completion in March.

It includes 30 new classrooms, additional computer labs, additional science labs, new industrial technology building, additional vocational labs, new technological infrastructure, new physical education facilities, expanded and improved auditorium for school and community use, increased cafeteria space, football stadium improvements, increased parking, energy conservation measures, gymnasium roof replacement, asbestos abatement, HVAC renovation and ADA compliance.

John Eallonardo, vice president of Addison, Ill.-based construction manager Frederick Quinn Corp., says formal meetings with the superintendent and director of building and rounds are held once a week to accommodate classes and construction at the same time.

The largest chunk of the project is the erection of a 75,000-sq-ft, three-story building adjacent to an existing three-story classroom building. Once up, walls were knocked down between the buildings to create one larger building. Also, a new stand-alone building will house industrial arts.

“We have a lot of students interested and involved in industrial shop classes, not just with woodworking and putting things together,” says Tony Hamilton, director of school and community relations for Lemont High School District 210. “The school has a strong architectural design program.”

Hamilton adds that the high school will have its own steeple that will be used for storage. On the outside, it will sport the school letters “LHS.” Ironically, Lemont is famous for its steeples and churches, Hamilton says.

The main reason for the project is to increase capacity. The old building has a capacity of 1,450 students, and there are 1,470 students at Lemont High School.

“If we had not passed a referendum, we would have been snug this year,” Hamilton says. “Lemont is growing and is expected to be at 2,100 students by 2020, which is what the new building is constructed for.”

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