This school’s mission also includes an emphasis on integrating the arts into all subject areas. A number of key elements allow students a full arts-integrated learning experience. The design doubled the size of the art/music/physical education facilities and located them closer to the center of the school. The gymnasium was completely renovated.
One of the aspects of the renovation that most interested the community was solving ongoing drainage problems on the school’s ball fields, which are heavily used for community sports and recreation. The construction of a cistern and bioretention ponds forms the foundation for an entirely reconfigured drainage plan that will benefit the whole neighborhood in managing stormwater to prevent recurrent flooding.
LED bulbs are used throughout the school, and the outdoor lighting was customized to balance the security of the school with the neighborhood’s interest in reducing light pollution. As it is for all of Skanska’s projects, LEED certification was planned from the earliest stages, with Gold being the target for Lafayette.
By incorporating sustainable features and retrofitting existing buildings when- ever possible in these schools, the design- build teams were not only able to save sig- nificantly on construction costs–essential in today’s funding climate–but were also forward-looking to significantly reduce energy and water consumption over the whole life of the buildings, providing long-term value to the school district.
Skanska is dedicated to creating long-lasting value for local communities–leaving behind positive legacies that go beyond concrete and steel. Actively soliciting involvement from neighbors ensures that school projects respond to community needs and values. Integrating sustainable-design features make the schools cost-effective over the long term. Based on the idea that quality schools foster strong communities, Skanska works in each project to follow its motto to build for a better society.
PHOTOS: Skanska USA
P3 Models for School Construction
For many decades, stopgap measures have kept schools running without fixing underlying problems or replacing structures that are beyond their useful life cycle. Budget shortages make it difficult to fund capital improvements, so many districts are looking to harness private-sector expertise and efficiency for school construction, hoping to deliver projects faster and cheaper than through the typical government procurement process.
Although not yet in widespread use in the U.S., the public-private partnership (P3) model has been successful in many other countries. During the past 10 years, a partnership between New York-based Skanska USA and the Bristol City Council in England has delivered 44 separate school projects. It has created places for 10,000 new students and improved the learning environment for more than 13,500 children, as well as for 300 children with additional learning needs. The projects have revitalized existing buildings and constructed new schools to deliver room for new students in the neighborhoods that need it most.
Projects have used innovative solutions to best fit each school’s needs. For example, a police station and office block were converted for school use and additional classrooms were placed on a school’s roof to save playing fields. The partnership has been so successful
that it was recently extended for another five years to work on more projects.
By transferring risk for financing, design, building, operations and maintenance to a private partner in a P3, schools are able to access upfront funding to deliver projects more quickly and are able to budget accurately for the long term.
These factors make P3 an attractive solution to school districts trying to reconcile tight budgets with vast needs.