PROJECT SUMMARY

The new Highbridge Hill Elementary School’s architectural style is intended to respect the history and rural character of the local community. The orientation of the building and the windows are designed to maximize natural lighting. The school was designed for energy efficiency with high “R” value walls, roof and windows as well as energy efficient electrical and mechanical systems. A closed-cell spray insulation was used in the cavity walls.

The building construction consists of concrete foundations, slabs and two-story masonry bearing walls with structural steel joists for floor support for the second floor. The roof consisted of wood gable and hip trusses throughout, except for the gymnasium/cafeteria area, which had a steel joist flat roof. The interior classrooms and other areas had masonry interior walls with some metal stud and gypsum partitions. The school consists of two classroom wings with a center core area for administration and support staff offices, a gymnasium, kitchen, cafeteria and mechanical rooms.

The major portion of concrete and masonry construction was done during the dead of winter. Care needed to be taken to monitor and inspect the masonry bearing construction, which was protected and heated during the construction.

The heat for the elementary school was supplied by a new state-of-the-arts wood pellet boiler installed at the high school as part of the project. Heating lines were run 2,000 feet to the new elementary school along a new roadway that tied into the high school campus. The existing leach field for the high school needed to be relocated to accommodate the road and utilities to the baseball field.

Careful coordination was needed in the installation and start-up of the new systems including water, which was drawn from existing wells. Even though the school was on a new site and separate from the existing high school, there needed to be excellent coordination working in and around the occupied high school.