Worcester, Mass., is the birthplace of vocational education, beginning with the pioneering efforts of Milton P. Higgins, who opened the Worcester Trade School in 1908. The school's original facility served this central Massachusetts community for nearly 100 years until its state-of-the-art replacement opened in 2006 as the 1,500-student Worcester Technical High School.
Getting the new 400,000-sf school opened, however, once again required pioneering efforts that earned this project and its Building Team a Special Recognition Award for overcoming significant challenges, including an environmentally sensitive site, tight funding, and labor union issues.
The school's 21-acre site in the city's Green Hill Park included wetlands with vernal pools, a 16-acre landfill, and a two-year legal dispute with neighbors over environmental and parkland issues. A formal partnering charter ultimately allayed neighborhood and environmental concerns. The school was repositioned on the site, and improvements were made to the wetlands and vernal pools, which now serve as leaning labs for the school's Environmental Technology program. The landfill was capped and converted for use as the school's athletic fields.
Funding was one of the project's biggest obstacles. To offset the school's approximately $90 million total cost (construction costs: $68 million; equipment: $22 million), the school's advisory board created “entrustment” programs, which involved partnerships with businesses, manufacturers, and major suppliers—notably Dell Computers, Cisco Systems, Toyota, and Redken 5th Avenue—to provide equipment and industry expertise in return for the school's exclusive use of their products.
Labor union issues were resolved through a deal brokered by the city's mayor and Consigli Construction (general contractor in a joint venture with O'Connor Constructors) that allowed non-union trades to bid the project. Originally, only union trades were allowed to bid, but that prevented the school's alumni who weren't union members or employees of union signatory firms from submitting bids. Trades winning their bids served as mentors to the school's current students, who gained valuable hands-on experience by helping complete their new school two months early and on budget.
|
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Dec 14, 2016
Expanding possibilities for America's K-12 schools
Bigger buildings, more outdoor space, and greater involvement from the private sector are among the trends marking the new generation of schools.
K-12 Schools | Dec 12, 2016
Building a nation of super schools
AEC teams are being asked to design and build schools with enough flexibility to adapt to changing pedagogies.
School Construction | Oct 23, 2016
As construction rebounds, education sector spending flattens
Post-recession slump suggests a settling in at a “normal” level similar to the mid aughts.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Novel construction approach speeds K-12 school projects
The Folia system uses pre-engineered components to deliver school buildings at 20% less cost.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
11 great solutions for the commercial construction market
A roll-up emergency department, next-gen telemedicine center, and biophilic cooling pods are among the AEC industry’s clever ideas and novel innovations for 2016.
K-12 Schools | Aug 4, 2016
First Look: New Sandy Hook Elementary School blends safety and nature
The new Sandy Hook Elementary School has been carefully designed with state-of-the-art safety measures to keep students safe.
| Aug 1, 2016
K-12 SCHOOL GIANTS: In a new era of K-12 education, flexibility is crucial to design
Space flexibility is critical to classroom design. Spaces have to be adaptable, even allowing for drastic changes such as a doubling of classroom size.
| Aug 1, 2016
Top 80 K-12 School Construction Firms
Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, and Core Construction head Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 1, 2016
Top 60 K-12 School Engineering Firms
AECOM, Jacobs, and STV top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 1, 2016
Top 100 K-12 School Architecture Firms
DLR Group, Stantec, and Huckabee top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
