This new two-story school building was constructed with steel, metal stud, and block walls with exterior brick veneer. The floor plan includes a first-floor administrative wing, sixth grade wing, media center, music rooms, gymnasium, cafeteria, kitchen, and locker rooms. The second floor is split into two wings, for seventh and eighth grades, which are joined in the center of the building overlooking an open atrium at the front entry. Natural light was achieved through the use of skylights and aluminum storefront windows on the exterior. This project included a geothermal HVAC system, an elevator, and a fully functioning stage off the gym that can be used for community events. The final phase of the project included the partial demolition of the existing middle school and minor interior renovations to the remaining building to be used as a neighborhood community center.

Project Challenges & Solutions
  • Weather was a major factor on this project, with rain totals exceeding averages for the region. Our team worked weekends and used tenting in specific areas during masonry construction and also completed work out of sequence to deal with the weather impacts.
  • Paved areas and playfields remained wet, partially due to weather, but also due to existing soil conditions. Significant time was spent uncovering and constantly turning soils to allow for natural drying.
  • Willow Construction added an assistant jobsite superintendent to help with coordination and timely completion of the project.
Project Details