flexiblefullpage

HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

Menu View Full Menu
Subscribe Here
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Lake Washington STEM school combines modular and site-built construction to meet ambitious schedule

Lake Washington STEM school combines modular and site-built construction to meet ambitious schedule

New high school built in just seven months thanks to modular construction

By M SPACE | June 10, 2013
Continue Reading
When the Lake Washington School District outside Seattle needed a new high school built on an ambitious permitting and construction schedule of seven months, modular construction proved to be an ideal solution.
 
“Conventional construction just wasn’t an option,” said Allan Long, Sr. Project Manager for M SPACE, the modular contractor for the project.
 
The LWSD ran into various permitting issues restricting site work on a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) school that was set to open in the fall of 2012. Since the modular process allows the bulk of construction to be done offsite in a factory, with minimal site disruption, the LWSD chose modular as the solution to its challenges.
 
The school is now serving 300 students, and by 2014, will be at near capacity with 600 9th-12th graders.
 
Integrus Architects, the designer on the project, began working the modular aspect of the project into it from the beginning, according to Yong Sun Lee, project manager with Integrus.
 
 
 
 
“In schematic design, we met with and toured various modular manufacturers’ facilities to understand the fabrication process,” Lee said. 
 
“It was in the early stages that we were sensitive to issues of modular dimensions (transportation widths and heights), structure and material types.  In design development, we maintained communication with the participating modular manufacturers and dealers with constructability/design insight,” she said. 
 
Blazer Industries in Oregon began building the “mods” in April 2012, and M SPACE started craning them into place in July 2012.  The school was constructed in two phases, with the first phase ending in August 2012. M SPACE contracted with Absher Construction as the onsite GC for the civil work, modular construction, roofing, sprinkler system and mechanical, electrical and plumbing.
 
 
 
 
M SPACE began setting the second phase in September 2012 and finished the following month, with the remaining site work completed by March 2013. With the two phases combined, the permanent 65,000 square-foot two-story school has 24 classrooms, a presentation hall, common areas, administrative offices and a nurse’s office. Additional features include photovoltaic panels in part of the roof, storefront windows, power cord reels in the science studios, two-hour rated walls, and light dimming ballasts in fixtures.
 
Four spaces in the school were site built, allowing modular and traditional construction to be combined to best suit the client’s need. The site-built commons has 22-foot ceilings, offering an open and inviting space for students. The top of the commons – the roof mods – were built in the factory, reducing the amount of time that workers had to spend at significant heights, according to Alan Duer, M SPACE Pacific Northwest Territory Manager.
 
“Mixing modular construction with conventional construction proved to be a valid alternative to the old ways of building,” Duer said. 
 
To learn more about the school, please visit the M SPACE website.
 
 
 

Tags

Related Stories

Pre-applied blindside waterproofing installed prior to pouring of concrete wall. Photo courtesy Walter P Moore
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024

Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction

This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.

The new theater at the expanded Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, designed by DLR Group. Photo: Michael Robinson Photography, courtesy DLR Group
Sponsored | Performing Arts Centers | Jan 17, 2024

Performance-based facilities for performing arts boost the bottom line

A look at design trends for “budget-wise” performing arts facilities reveals ways in which well-planned and well-built facilities help performers and audiences get the most out of the arts. This continuing education course is worth 1.0 AIA learning unit.

Image by sungmin cho from Pixabay - Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024

Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture Firms for 2023

HKS, HDR, Stantec, CannonDesign, and Page Southerland Page top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.

San Francisco International Airport, T1 Expansion
Airports | Jan 15, 2024

How to keep airports functional during construction

Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.

Image by GLady from Pixabay
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024

Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking

With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.

As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply - Image by A. Krebs from Pixabay
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024

As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply

As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.

UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project, Image by 2427999 from Pixabay
Student Housing | Jan 12, 2024

UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project

The University of California at Berkeley took the drastic step of erecting a wall of shipping containers to keep protestors out of a site of a planned student housing complex. The $312 million project would provide badly needed housing at the site of People’s Park. 

Photo by Kvnga on Unsplash - Top 10 Casino Architecture Firms for 2023
Giants 400 | Jan 12, 2024

Top 10 Casino Architecture Firms for 2023

JCJ Architecture, HBG Design, Gensler, and WATG top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest casino architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Happy senior women in eyeglasses looking at screen of smartphone
Senior Living Design | Jan 11, 2024

Designing for personal technology is crucial for senior living facilities

Today’s seniors are increasingly tech savvy. It isn’t enough to give senior living residents a pre-determined bundle of technology and assume that they’ll be satisfied.

Photo by Ana GG on Unsplash - Top 40 Convention Center Architecture Firms for 2023
Giants 400 | Jan 11, 2024

Top 40 Convention Center Architecture Firms for 2023

TVS, Populous, Arcadis North America, Gensler, and EUA top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest convention center and event facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.

boombox1
boombox2

Top Articles

native1

More In Category

Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.

Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021