How to Build Your School with Less Money, Less Time, Less Worry
To a community, the appearance of a school often influences its perception of the quality and care afforded to education. A practical but attractive building sited on adequate grounds and enhanced with landscaping can help create an appreciation for school in children and in adults and add civic interest, pride and respect for the importance of education.
Today, the importance of flexible space within a school reflects the fact that, often, the school is used for additional purposes: for adult education, for public assembly, as an election polling place, and as a center for cultural and social services. Moreover, educational programs and needs, as well as student characteristics, can change as communities grow or classroom activities evolve. It is critical, therefore, to have a clear understanding of both current as well as anticipated needs and think not only about what is needed today, but also consider what might be needed in the future.
Getting Started
So, it's time to select your construction approach. There are basically three project delivery methods.
1. Design/Build Method
Here, the building committee selects one coordinating company to handle the project and retain the necessary design and construction professionals.
Advantages include:
* Minimizes the building committee's project management efforts so they can focus on the big picture and optimize control over the project
* Entails only one contract to negotiate, allowing for more cost-efficient pricing
* Ensures a united team, all directed to meeting the needs and directives of the committee
* Streamlines the process so there are both time and money savings
* Requires no in-depth building expertise by committee members
2. Design/Bid Method
This method is a multi-step process whereby the committee solicits proposals and pricing bids from architects or engineers, then chooses one and presents that design to contractors, who submit proposals and bids for the construction phase of the project.
An advantage of this method is that the committee manages every detail of the design and construction process.
3. Project Team Method
This method is similar to the design/bid method, but there is no bid phase, and the committee selects the design professional at the same time as the contractor.
Advantages include:
* Collaborating between the design professional and the contractor begins at the onset of the project
* Omitting the bid phase fosters better morale
Planning Your Building
Regardless of whether your school is public or private, urban or rural, elementary or high school, there are many details to consider. A simple series of checklists starting with the site help set parameters and, in basic terms, outline the pieces and parts of the project.
Determining the appropriate site for an educational facility entails good judgment beyond the application of minimum size standards. One must assess how much usable space exists and whether it is adequate to hold the necessary buildings, parking, spaces for outdoor instruction and recreation, as well as future expansion contingencies.
Other site factors to investigate include:
* Zoning regulations and building codes
* Environmental issues
* Historic district covenants
* Accessibility of water supply, sewage disposal, utilities, cable connections and TV reception
* Air and noise pollution
* Transportation routes and traffic arteries
* Adjacent parks and recreational land
* Soil condition-topography and drainage
* Proximity to police and fire services
* Electric power transmission easements
What Is Needed?
Certainly, classrooms are a must, but there's so much more to the building and its environs. Should your classrooms radiate from a central core? Where would staff administration offices best be located? Examining generic blueprints can generate ideas and help in the decision-making process.
Here is a sample list of the many components of a school project:
* Classrooms
* Administrative offices
* Teacher's lounge
* Auditorium
* Cafeteria and kitchen facilities
* Restrooms
* Nurse's office
* Media center
* Library
* Laboratories and workshops
* Lockers
* Storage
* Gymnasium
* Field house
* Stadium
* Parking-faculty, students, visitors, spectators
* Fencing and lighting
* Bus lanes and parent pick-up lanes
* Landscaping
* Sidewalks/bridges/walkways/tunnels
Space Allocation
How much space does your school need? This is a question with no easy answer because the answer needs to reflect the individual type and scope of the educational programs your school will offer. The answer also has to take into account class size, and that is a debate that has been raging for many years. Each school planning group needs to customize the space to its particular requirements and educational strategies.
Scheduling
Below are some typical time periods for the various tasks involved with school building construction under the design/build method. These assume funding allocation has already been approved and the site has been selected.
* Evaluation of firms: 3 weeks
* Schematic design: 4 weeks
* Design development: 4 weeks
* Construction documents: 14 weeks
* Contract award: 2 weeks
* Construction: 50 weeks
* Move-in: 6 to 8 weeks
The total is 83 to 85 weeks.
Budget
Project budget apportionment is important. The following information reflects costs published from a survey taken by R. S. Means Company and provides an idea of how to plan funding allocation.
* The Building Construction: 55 % of total budget
* Insurance: 2%
* Design: 5%
* Permits/Utility Fees: 3%
* Pre-Design Surveys: 3%
* General Conditions: 6%
* Design/Builder's Overhead: 13%
* Sitework: 13%
Technology
Planning tools exist to help determine construction budgets, but little has been done to enable planning personnel to determine educational technology costs.
The following information is based on data collected by The Council of Education Facility Planners, International (CEFPI) from more than 30 projects in the Midwest with an average of 35 instructional spaces. Obviously, costs will vary based on the region and the competency level and quantity of technology contractors available in the area. Also note that as the buildings become smaller, the per-port cost increases.
Comparing Construction Methods
Steel systems construction is very different from conventional construction, although the finished buildings can look very much the same. That's because the exteriors of both methods can be finished in just about any material-glass, brick, metal, block or stone-to create the look you want.
Steel systems construction is recognized for its limitless flexibility and advanced engineering techniques. Advantages include:
1. Money-saving pre-engineered materials
Steel systems construction uses pre-engineered materials-basically, the frame, roof and wall systems-that are made to your exact specifications, so there is no waste.
2. Time-saving "ready to assemble" components
Moreover, because steel systems construction buildings are delivered pre-fabricated and are ready to be assembled, your school is constructed more quickly and efficiently. The facility is ready to use sooner, which means a faster return on your investment.
3. Maintenance-saving structural integration
Because the primary and sub-structural systems of a building work in tandem, steel systems construction maximizes the building's stability and durability. This reduces maintenance costs and increases the structure's long-term value. In addition, the metal structure won't rot, warp or be prone to insect infestation.
This article is courtesy of VP Buildings, www.vp.com.
