flexiblefullpage

HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

Menu View Full Menu
Subscribe Here
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

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

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

New high school built in just seven months thanks to modular construction

By M SPACE | June 10, 2013
Continue Reading
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.
 
 
 

Tags

Related Stories

| Mar 21, 2014

Pier Carlo Bontempi to receive Richard H. Driehaus Prize from Notre Dame

Established in 2003 by the Notre Dame School of Architecture, the $200,000 Richard H. Driehaus Prize is awarded to a living architect whose work embodies the highest ideals of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society, and creates a positive cultural, environmental and artistic impact.

| Mar 21, 2014

How to get more referrals

If you’re having a hard time attracting new referrals, here are a few techniques for increasing the number of interactions with potential clients. 

To true the wall surface, the installer should level the insulation board, rathe
| Mar 20, 2014

Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them

Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems. 

All renderings: Perkins Eastman
| Mar 20, 2014

D.C. breaks ground on $2B mega waterfront development [slideshow]

When complete, the Wharf will feature approximately 3 million sf of new residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, and public uses, including waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks.

Designed by Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the Hotchkiss School's new Biom
| Mar 20, 2014

13 dazzling wood building designs [slideshow]

From bold structural glulam designs to striking textured wall and ceiling schemes, these award-winning building projects showcase the design possibilities using wood. 

| Mar 20, 2014

Fluor defines the future 7D deliverable without losing sight of real results today

A fascinating client story by Fluor SVP Robert Prieto reminds us that sometimes it’s the simplest details that can bring about real results today—and we shouldn’t overlook them, even as we push to change the future state of project facilitation. 

| Mar 19, 2014

Architecture Billings Index shows slight improvement

 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported that the February ABI score was 50.7, up slightly from a mark of 50.4 in January.

The competition is Fast Company's take on March Madness. Image: courtesy Fast Co
| Mar 19, 2014

Gehry, Zaha, Foster, Meier: Vote for your top 'starchitect' in this March Madness design legends tourney

Fast Company's Bracket Madness tournament pits 32 designers against each other to see who truly is the world's greatest living designer. 

| Mar 19, 2014

Is it time to start selecting your own clients?

Will 2014 be the year that design firms start selecting the clients they want rather than getting in line with competitors to respond to RFPs? That’s the question posed by a recent thought-provoking article.

| Mar 19, 2014

How to develop a healthcare capital project using a 'true north charter'

Because healthcare projects take years to implement, developing a true north charter is essential for keeping the entire team on track and moving in the right direction. 

boombox1
boombox2

Top Articles

native1

More In Category

Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.

3D Printing

3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas

Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.

University Buildings

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences opens a new 88-acre campus

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened a new campus spanning 88 acres, over three times larger than its previous location. Designed by RDG Planning & Design and built by Turner Construction, the $260 million campus features technology-rich, flexible educational spaces that promote innovative teaching methods, expand research activity, and enhance clinical services. The campus includes four buildings connected with elevated pathways and totaling 382,000 sf. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021