Award of Merit: K-12 Education
Helping to remedy space constraints, the 38,000-sq-ft expansion last year of the Alternative School for Math & Science in Corning, N.Y., was the first in the school's history. The $17-million project was designed and built to be flexible, with features such as Smart Boards, open floor plans and work tables with casters to allow teachers to reconfigure space depending on the curriculum. It also includes a high degree of integrated technology, including computer network space and wireless capabilities.
Features include a new cafeteria; a gymnasium and fitness center; science and art classrooms; and a band practice room—all connected to the existing 25,000-sq-ft school building, a Romanesque masonry structure, by a second-story glass and brick bridge. The contractors self-performed extensive exterior masonry work to meld the new design with the aesthetic of the existing building. For color consistency between the exteriors of the old school and the new, 190,000 palmetto red bricks were sourced from South Carolina. At the peak of the project, 20 masons and eight laborers worked overtime as needed to complete the job. The team leveraged building information modeling to solve design, coordination and constructibility challenges.
The project was completed in 14 months, two months ahead of schedule, and it increased the school's capacity by 50%, allowing the school to now serve 135 students.
The Alternative School for Math & Science expansion was designed and built to be flexible and have a high degree of integrated technology.
Alternative School for Math & Science Expansion, Corning, N.Y.
Key Players
Owner Alternative School for Math & Science
Construction Manager/Masonry Contractor Welliver
General Contractor Streeter Associates
Lead Designer/Structural, Civil and MEP Engineer Hunt Engineers, Architects & Land Surveyors
