alabama 03 2016

Named for two history-makingastronauts, the new Jemison HighSchool and McNair Junior High

are taking shape in Huntsville, Ala. Built on a combinedcampus off Pulaski Pike, both schools are expected to openin August 2016, and will house students from four existingor recently closed schools. Total cost of the project is $70million.

“Everyone is excited about this,” said Jeffrey Gattis, con-struction and renovation coordinator for Huntsville cityschools. “The way we are doing things is so forward think-ing. You’re not going to find anything like it here, or maybein the entire country. It’s precedent setting.”

Gattis said, “The old high school had served its purpose,but it was time to either do a major renovation or constructa new building. This is also part of a U.S. Department ofJustice consent order to build a new school.”

The consent order required the district to provide moreequitable educational opportunities for its black students. In2014, a federal judge appointed a mediator in the battle torezone Huntsville city schools.

The Jemison-McNair campus can serve 1,100 high schoolstudents and more than 500 middle-school pupils, and willhave combined space in excess of 331,000 sq. ft. (30,750 sqm). Jemison will serve students from Butler and Johnsonhigh schools, while McNair will host students from the for-mer Davis Hills and Ed White middle schools.

“Currently, we are finishing up the concrete block walls,installing brick and stone and have started roofing on partsof the buildings,” said Gattis. “We are finishing up the sitegrading and roughing-in the MEP.”

Construction began in August 2014. Crews have com-pleted the foundations on both buildings, along with theconcrete block and floor slabs in the junior high. The floorslabs in the high school also are complete.

Gattis said building more than one school at a time is abalancing act.

“There are a million things going on all the time. I havea team of architects and engineers and program managerskeeping me up to the minute on all things related to thebuildings and schedules. It’s very busy. I actually have fivebuildings across the city going on.”

The Huntsville school board approved a contract withAuburn-based Bailey-Harris Construction to build the com-bined Jemison-McNair campus. Rob Flaherty Bailey-Harris, senior project manager said, “The schools are side byside, with only a walkway separating the junior high fromthe high school, so the same activities are basically takingplace. We have placed approximately 98 percent of the slabon grade, and have been working diligently in getting ourload bearing block walls installed all summer for the entireproject.”

All load bearing block is complete at McNair, as is struc-

tural steel and joist. In half the junior high, the mechanical,electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler rough-in is virtuallyfinished. Brick work has begun, and crews should have thebuildings in the dry in the next two months. Due to the over-all mechanical plan, it will be early January before workerswill have conditioned air and be able to start finish trades inthe available buildings.

At Jemison, load bearing block is complete in four of thefive buildings, and crews are working on completing the taskon the last structure by the end of November. Structural steel

Schools Named forAstronauts TakeLeaps Forward

ALABAMA STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

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see SCHOOLS page 2

Bailey-Harris Construction photoIn total, the project called for approximately 500,000 cu. yds. (382,277 cu m) of dirt to be moved.

February 32016

Vol. XXIX • No. 3Mobile

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• February 3, 2016 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Crews Encounter Challenges While Building Storm Sheltersand joist and deck installation continues inthree of the five buildings. Mechanical,plumbing, electrical and sprinkler rough-inis complete in the first floor of the mainclassroom building and is continuing at allother locations.

In total, the project called for approxi-mately 500,000 cu. yds. (382,277 cu m) ofdirt to be moved. Dealing with a “pad ready”site, Flaherty said significant grading wasn’tnecessary, but workers did transport morethan 27,000 cu. yds. (20,642 cu m) of topsoilto an alternate location.

Crews have been responsible for all stormdrain, site utilities, roadways, parking lots,curbs and gutter and athletic field installa-tions. With the exception of landscaping andfinal paving, the site work is more than 80percent complete. Permanent power shouldbe available by the end of December.

The mechanical site piping to each build-ing is 60 percent complete, along with workin the main mechanical room. Tasks yet tobe completed include roofing and finishtrades, along with flooring, painting andMEP trim outs in all the buildings.

As for some of the biggest constructionchallenges, said Flaherty, “Each schoolgymnasium is a designated storm shelter,which required intensive coordination oftrades and numerous inspections to meet therigorous structural requirements. ”

Battling the elements has also been anissue.

“The weather was miserable when wewere trying to get out of the ground and getslabs poured,” Flaherty said. “We had a fewdays last winter when roads in areas iced uptoo much to even get to the site. During thesummer, it continued to rain well above nor-mal for this area. The last two months havebeen much better. Despite the weather, weare still on schedule.”

Track hoes and a skid steer have beenused for the footings, site utilities and slabwork. A concrete pump truck is required forthe concrete placement, while cranes areneeded for the hollow core installation andstructural steel. As many as 12 forklifts havebeen on site at one time.

Some of the main materials being usedinclude more than 1,000 tons (907 t) of rebar,more than 11,600 cu. yds. (8,868 cu m) ofconcrete, 650,000 blocks, 1.3 million bricks,more than 1,000 tons (907 t) of structuralsteel, 2,100 squares of roof deck and 75,000sq. ft. (6,967 sq m) of hollow core panels.

The property, which is just north ofStringfield Road, is located near a rockquarry. The location drew criticism fromparents worried about blasting and crushingat the quarry spreading tiny silica particlesinto the air around the school site. The city’sair quality chief, however, claims the amount

of particulate matter is well below levelsconsidered potentially harmful by theEnvironmental Protection Agency.

The Jemison-McNair campus will includea 0.9-mi. (1.4 km) racetrack as part of theGreenpower USA initiative, which will givestudents in the district’s advanced manufac-turing academy the opportunity to learn howto design, build and race electric cars.Jemison, Grissom High and Whitesburg P-8will be the base of operations for the pro-gram, the first of its kind in the country.Most of the track uses existing parking lotsand drives. Workers have modified some ofthe curbs and drives, to help with safety.

Both schools will have state-of-the-arttechnology in place, along with the latest insecurity measures. Officials have takenextreme measures to ensure the safety of stu-dents, incorporating key swipe doors, cam-eras monitoring activities and lock downsthat can be performed at the push of a button.

The schools were designed by ChapmanSisson Architects. Rob Mercer, ChapmanSisson design director, said the vision wascreating a 21st-century school that show-cased the latest trends in STEM education,as well as the creation of a Career Academy.

“The Career Academy spaces were placedalong the main corridor of the school to

SCHOOLS from page 1

Bailey-Harris Construction photoOne of the design team’s chief concernswas effectively incorporating two sepa-rate schools on the same campus inclose proximity.

Aero PhotoNamed for two history-making astronauts, the new Jemison High School andMcNair Junior High are taking shape in Huntsville, Ala.see SCHOOLS page 6

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engage students in the education possibilitiesoffered that could play a part in their futuresuccess. The vision for the building was tocreate inviting spaces that would enhancethe learning experience through modernmaterials, daylighting and a strong sense ofplace.”

The high school’s college academy willbe funded by Huntsville city schools withina magnet program at the school. Studentsoffered admission to the program can com-plete up to sixty hours of college creditswhile earning their high school diplomas.

The academy will allow students andfamilies to avoid the significant costs of col-lege tuition and expenses incurred during thefirst two years of undergraduate studies. Thecollege courses will be taught by collegeprofessors, while high school classes will beled by teachers chosen to be a part of the col-lege academy team.

Mercer said one of the design team’s chiefconcerns was effectively incorporating twoseparate schools on the same campus inclose proximity.

“This was ultimately successful from aneducational standpoint by creating educationprograms that form a progressive linkbetween younger and older students.Architecturally, the building links the twoschools together by consistently carrying thedesign elements across the entire campus. Acommon area between the two school lob-bies bridged by a large, dynamic canopyvisually ties one campus to the other.

“It was a challenge to keep student dropoff/pick up traffic flow separate and effi-cient,” Mercer said. “In addition, separatebus and student traffic patterns had to bestudied thoroughly, so that the campus couldload and unload efficiently. Also, since bothschools essentially function independentlyof each other, sports and other extra-curricu-lar activities had to be studied in the siteplanning stage, in order to deliver a projectthat functions at any given hour of the day.”

For the architects, it was important for thestructures to complement each other.

“This really affected our master plan-ning,” said Mercer. “We wanted to give theschools a pronounced front door, which ledus to doing a large canopy that covers theentries to the two main lobbies, providing aunity between the massing of the buildings.Common brick patterns and use of stoneunify both schools.

“The schools vary from one level in theirrespective administration, gym, and cafeteriaareas, to two levels at classroom wings. Thehigh school’s competition gym is technicallytwo levels, but it is triple height, due to thelower court level. Each school has its ownpractice gym that doubles as a storm shelter.The schools are block and brick veneer withlow slope roofing.”

As far as sustainability efforts, “We focuson efficiency via low maintenance materials,finishes and building systems, good R valuesin the walls and insulation and an overalltight building envelope. Features that havebeen proven over time to add value, such ashigh performance mechanical units, watersaving plumbing fixtures and lighting sen-sors, were all incorporated into the buildingat a relatively low cost to the owner.”

According to Mercer, the firm’s past expe-rience designing schools was definitely help-ful on this project.

“We have learned what materials last andwhich ones do not, and could be improved.We are constantly re-evaluating to grow ourknowledge of what works through thecourse of each project. In addition, we havelearned a lot about which materials are easyto maintain, yet still provide a level of quali-ty in appearance and longevity.

“We hope that the school will be a sourceof pride for the students and parents, butmost important, that it’s engaging to the stu-dents. We would also like the school to bean asset to the community, by helping thepublic school system become a marketingtool to outside businesses looking for qualityeducation facilities.”

Rena Anderson, director of communityrelations of Huntsville city schools, said thenew campus is closer to where studentsreside and will help revitalize an older com-munity.

“There’s also the benefit of having 7th and8th graders on the same campus, becausethey’ll have shared experiences. It’s aboutforming relationships early and building aconsistent culture. We want our teachers toget to know these students, which will makefor a smoother transition as they move on tohigh school.”

The new schools are named for RonaldMcNair and Dr. Mae Jemison. McNair, thesecond African-American in space, waskilled in the 1986 Challenger disaster.Jemison, a Decatur, Alabama native, wonrecognition as the first black woman to orbitthe earth.

“These are two good role models,” saidAnderson. “Students will learn they too cangrow up to be anything they want. Dr.Jemison gave a motivational speech whenshe attended last year’s groundbreaking, andshe is looking forward to attending the rib-bon cutting.”

Huntsville is home to NASA’s MarshallSpace Flight Center, and is nicknamed “TheRocket City” for its ties to U.S. space mis-sions.

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s Web site atwww. .com.) CEG

Bailey-Harris Construction photoFor the architects, it was important for the structures to complement each other.

Bailey-Harris Construction photoBuilt on a combined campus off Pulaski Pike, both schools are expected to open inAugust 2016, and will house students from four existing or recently closed schools.Total cost of the project is $70 million.

Architects Design Structures to Complement Each OtherSCHOOLS from page 2

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