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

Four Workspace Archetypes
Building Team | Oct 27, 2022

Who are you? Four archetypes shaping workspaces

The new lifestyle of work requires new thinking about the locations where people work, what their workflow looks like, and how they are performing their best work.

Florida Surfside Condo Law
Codes and Standards | Oct 27, 2022

Florida’s Surfside-inspired safety law puts pressure on condo associations

A Florida law intended to prevent tragedies like the Surfside condominium collapse will place a huge financial burden on condo associations and strain architecture and engineering resources in the state.

University of Florida Building ext 1
University Buildings | Oct 27, 2022

The Collaboratory Building will expand the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning

Design firm Brooks + Scarpa recently broke ground on a new addition to the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning (DCP).

Hotel Construction Pipeline
Building Team | Oct 26, 2022

The U.S. hotel construction pipeline shows positive growth year-over-year at Q3 2022 close

According to the third quarter Construction Pipeline Trend Report for the United States from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the U.S. construction pipeline stands at 5,317 projects/629,489 rooms, up 10% by projects and 6% rooms Year-Over-Year (YOY).

Data Center Alley
Data Centers | Oct 25, 2022

Virginia county moves to restrict the growth of new server farms

Loudoun County, Va., home to the largest data center cluster in the world known as Data Center Alley, recently took steps to prohibit the growth of new server farms in certain parts of the county.

Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavillion int
Museums | Oct 25, 2022

Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion emphasizes human connection to oceans

Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion, currently under construction, features several exhibits that examine the human connection with the Earth’s oceans.

Federal Buildings Zero Embodied Carbon
Energy-Efficient Design | Oct 24, 2022

Roadmap shows how federal buildings can reach zero embodied carbon emissions by 2050

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has released a roadmap that it says charts a path for federal buildings projects to achieve zero embodied carbon emissions by 2050.

Wellesley College Science Complex ext 1
Higher Education | Oct 24, 2022

Wellesley College science complex modernizes facility while preserving architectural heritage

A recently completed expansion and renovation of Wellesley College’s science complex yielded a modernized structure for 21st century STEM education while preserving important historical features.

How to Comply with NYC Local Law 126 Parking Garage Inspection Rules-4376923_1920
Transportation & Parking Facilities | Oct 20, 2022

How to comply with NYC Local Law 126 parking garage inspection rules

Effective January 1, 2022, New York City requires garage owners to retain a specially designated professional engineer to conduct an assessment and file a report at least once every six years. Hoffmann Architects + Engineers offers tips and best practices on how to comply with NYC Local Law 126 parking garage inspection rules. 

Michael Graves Architecture acquires Jose Carballo Architectural Group
Architects | Oct 20, 2022

Michael Graves Architecture acquires Jose Carballo Architectural Group

Michael Graves Architecture (MG), an award-winning global leader in planning, architecture, and interior design based in Princeton, NJ, announces the acquisition of Jose Carballo Architectural Group (JCAG), a New Jersey-based architecture firm.

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