Lake Washington STEM school combines modular and site-built construction to meet ambitious schedule

When the Lake Washington School District outside Seattle needed a new high school built on an ambitious permitting and construction schedule of seven months, modular construction proved to be an ideal solution.

“Conventional construction just wasn’t an option,” said Allan Long, Sr. Project Manager for M SPACE, the modular contractor for the project.

The LWSD ran into various permitting issues restricting site work on a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) school that was set to open in the fall of 2012. Since the modular process allows the bulk of construction to be done offsite in a factory, with minimal site disruption, the LWSD chose modular as the solution to its challenges.

The school is now serving 300 students, and by 2014, will be at near capacity with 600 9th-12th graders.

Integrus Architects, the designer on the project, began working the modular aspect of the project into it from the beginning, according to Yong Sun Lee, project manager with Integrus.

“In schematic design, we met with and toured various modular manufacturers’ facilities to understand the fabrication process,” Lee said.

“It was in the early stages that we were sensitive to issues of modular dimensions (transportation widths and heights), structure and material types. In design development, we maintained communication with the participating modular manufacturers and dealers with constructability/design insight,” she said.

Blazer Industries in Oregon began building the “mods” in April 2012, and M SPACE started craning them into place in July 2012. The school was constructed in two phases, with the first phase ending in August 2012. M SPACE contracted with Absher Construction as the onsite GC for the civil work, modular construction, roofing, sprinkler system and mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

M SPACE began setting the second phase in September 2012 and finished the following month, with the remaining site work completed by March 2013. With the two phases combined, the permanent 65,000 square-foot two-story school has 24 classrooms, a presentation hall, common areas, administrative offices and a nurse’s office. Additional features include photovoltaic panels in part of the roof, storefront windows, power cord reels in the science studios, two-hour rated walls, and light dimming ballasts in fixtures.

Four spaces in the school were site built, allowing modular and traditional construction to be combined to best suit the client’s need. The site-built commons has 22-foot ceilings, offering an open and inviting space for students. The top of the commons – the roof mods – were built in the factory, reducing the amount of time that workers had to spend at significant heights, according to Alan Duer, M SPACE Pacific Northwest Territory Manager.

“Mixing modular construction with conventional construction proved to be a valid alternative to the old ways of building,” Duer said.

To learn more about the school, please visit the M SPACE website.

This course outlines the attributes, functions, benefits, limits, and acoustic qualities of composite deck slabs. It reviews the three primary types of composite systems that represent the full range of long-span composite floor systems and examines the criteria for their selection, design, and engineering.

Building Team | Apr 18, 2022

Shive-Hattery Acquires WSM Architects

Shive-Hattery announces that it has acquired WSM Architects, Inc., a 13-person architecture firm in Tucson, Arizona.

CU Denver engineering, design and computing building

University Buildings | Apr 18, 2022

SmithGroup to design new Univ. of Colorado Denver engineering, design, computing building

The University of Colorado Denver selected SmithGroup to design a new engineering, design, and computing building that will serve as anchor of new downtown innovation district.

Building Team | Apr 15, 2022

Frank Gehry to design his largest building yet for his hometown of Toronto

Famed architect Frank Gehry will design his largest building to date for his hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Structured collaboration includes “big room” meetings where team members set expectations and score a project’s progress.

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 14, 2022

Healthcare construction veteran creates next-level IPD process for hospital projects

Can integrated project delivery work without incentives for building team members? Denton Wilson thinks so.

Meeting the Demands of a Surging Industrial market HorizonTV.png

Industrial Facilities | Apr 14, 2022

JLL's take on the race for industrial space

In the previous decade, the inventory of industrial space couldn’t keep up with demand that was driven by the dual surges of the coronavirus and online shopping. Vacancies declined and rents rose. JLL has just published a research report on this sector called “The Race for Industrial Space.” Mehtab Randhawa, JLL’s Americas Head of Industrial Research, shares the highlights of a new report on the industrial sector's growth.

High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022

Seattle’s high-rise convention center nears completion

The new Washington State Convention Center Summit Building—billed as the first high-rise convention center in North America—is on track to complete most of its construction later this year.

Currently Reading

Lake Washington STEM school combines modular and site-built construction to meet ambitious schedule

Tags

Energy-Efficient Design | Apr 19, 2022

Concrete Technology | Apr 19, 2022

Senior Living Design | Apr 19, 2022

Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Apr 19, 2022

Building Team | Apr 18, 2022

University Buildings | Apr 18, 2022

Building Team | Apr 15, 2022

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 14, 2022

Industrial Facilities | Apr 14, 2022

High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: