The project is a renovation to the exterior finishes and openings of the existing building constructed in 1906. Originally built as a K-12 building and used over the years as an elementary school, the building currently serves as an administrative annex in Volusia County Schools’ administration complex. Work included repointing the existing brick masonry in its entirety, replacing damaged masonry units, replacing window and door flashing, and reconstructing the exterior entry feature that had deteriorated due to exposure to the elements. The building was occupied for the entire course of construction and work was completed in phases to accommodate Volusia County Schools’ operational requirements.

H. J. High Construction was selected as the construction manager for several prototype elementary schools for the School Board of Brevard County. The numerous projects were consistent with the School Board of Brevard County’s plan to provide the students of Brevard County a fuctional, pleasant atmosphere for learning.

Each school has a state-of-the-art media center and a multi-purpose room, which will serve as a cafeteria and performing arts theater. Incorporated in the facilities are hurricane resistant features and energy conservation designs.

Some of the schools included are:

• Quest Elementary School
• Manatee Elementary School
• Ralph M. Williams Junior Elementary School
• Roy Allen Elementary School
• Sunrise Elementary School

H. J. High served as construction manager on the Chisholm Elementary School project for the Volusia County School Board. The new Chisholm School had two phases of construction and was built on the current campus while the existing school continued to operate. The first phase included a two-story classroom building, cafetorium, media center, administration offices, new central energy plant building, new bus loop and a new staff parking. Phase two included a new physical education pavilion, a second classroom building, additional teacher parking, two playgrounds, and a student
drop off / pick up area. 

H. J. High provided construction manager at risk services for the School Board of Volusia County’s Master Plan Redevelopment of Ormond Beach Middle School. Starmer Ranaldi Planning and Architecture was the project architect.

The multi-phase project included an addition and complete renovation of the existing gymnasium, and replacement of every building on campus. The campus was occupied students and staff during the entire process, which required careful coordination of student egress and pathways, along with maintaining the integrity of life-safety and communications systems between the old and new facilities.

The first phase of the project included demolition some existing buildings followed by the renovation of and addition to the gymnasium building, new construction of a two story classroom/lab building, and the two story administration/media center.  The second phase followed with additional demolition of existing buildings and construction of the new cafetorium and music education suites, along with the central cooling plant for the entire campus. The final phase of work included demolition of the remaining buildings, a new classroom/lab building, a new career education building, tennis and basketball courts, and new bus loop and parking facilities. The project was completed on time in October 2012.

Phase I:
Building 5 – Gymnasium Renovation – 21,874 sf
Building 1 – Administration/Media Center – 20,400 sf
Building 2 – Classroom (7th and 8th Grade) – 44,730 sf
Temporary Parent Pick-up Loop and Visitor Parking
Temporary Bus Loop and Teacher Parking

Phase II:
Building 4 – Café / Music / Central Plant – 33,992 sf
Building 7 – Tower Yard

Phase III:
Building 3 – Classroom (ESE and 6th Grade) – 51,189 sf
Building 6 – Career Education – 14,332 sf
Landscaping and Outdoor Play Courts
Permanent Bus Loop and Teacher Parking
Permanent Visitor Parking

Construction consisted of a new 185,000 sf replacement school campus that includes 14 new buildings and new supporting infrastructure, ballfields, play courts and parking areas. Some of the new buildings include a library, cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, labs and classroom spaces.

Due to the project being a “same-site” campus replacement with both sides of the school remaining in operation throughout the project’s duration, it was determined that the construction would have to be accomplished in three distinct phases.

Phase I: New softball, baseball, and practice fields and support buildings
Phase II: Main campus including nine of the 12 buildings
Phase III: Middle school playfield and Exceptional Student Education building

During the progress of the re-arrangement and replacement, there could be no impact of the construction activity upon programs and education of the students. To ensure this, an inordinate amount of temporary fencing and roadways were installed and then constantly moved, reinstalled and modified to adjust to the ongoing ebb and flow of progress. H. J. High is proud to report no incidents of conflict or injury to the students or staff of T. D. Taylor.

This $10+ million dollar project completed in August 2003 in Viera, Florida, consisted of the new elementary school with parking, chiller building, playing fields, bus loop, and a bus compound with bus driver/dispatch building and fueling island.

The first challenge we faced was the site itself. Situated in the middle of a sod farm, inherent concerns such as flooding had to be addressed, as well as the logistical issue of obtaining utilities for both the construction and the permanent services. First, we had to raise the level of the ground using over 40,000 cubic yards of fill to establish the building footprint elevation. It actually took another 50,000 cubic yards of fill to raise the rest of the site to grade.

The second challenge we faced was a creative endeavor that involved the unique tilt wall panels. We imprinted the hands of more than 1,800 elementary school students onto these panels. The end product is a truly personal band of hands around the school that will remain as a warm reminder of working together.

The school boasts another unique feature — porcelain tile throughout. After conducting a life cycle cost study, the school district made a smart move by installing porcelain. While the initial cost is higher, it lasts 3 times longer than VCT and requires little upkeep.

At the project outset, another important goal for the school board of Brevard County was to save $200,000 in taxes, an amount that had not yet been achieved for a project of this magnitude. H. J. High aggressively pursued obtaining these savings with the issuance of Owner Direct Purchase Orders and not only reached their goal, but exceeded it by nearly $25,000.

Manatee Elementary School received the Eagle Award for Excellence in Construction by Associated Builders and Contractors.

H. J. High Construction was selected by the school board of Brevard County to serve as construction manager for the new high school located in Viera, Florida. The high school has 2,323 student stations with a total square footage of 282,250. The school is one and two stories with load-bearing masonry construction.

The project included a gymnasium, media center, multi-purpose area with stage, full kitchen and cafeteria, band and choral rooms, drama rooms, technology and computer labs, closed-circuit television studio, science labs, dentistry lab, locker rooms, weight and training rooms, gymnastics and dance studio, art rooms, child/daycare facility, and administrative building. The school also features an ice storage system for air conditioning. The exterior included tennis courts, basketball courts, football field, track and field, soccer fields, practice baseball fields and a driver’s ed course. The cafeteria and gymnasium are hurricane enhanced for use as a shelter.

In 1998, Volusia County Schools selected H. J. High as the Construction Manager at Risk for the renovations and additions of DeLand High School masterplan. This was the first large scale project in which the school district utilized the CM-at-Risk delivery method. Work commenced in May 1999 and continued uninterrupted until its completion in December 2009.

The scope of work, divided among four primary phases and numerous sub-phases, included:
• Two 20,000 sf classroom buildings
• 20,000 sf laboratory building
• 40,000 sf gymnasium, including playcourt mezzanine
• 25,000 sf EHPA cafeteria
• 8,000 sf teen parent daycare facility
• 32,000 sf performing arts auditorium
• 18,000 sf vocational technology building
• Renovation of 240,000 sf of existing buildings
• Replacement of existing infrastructure, bus loop and utilities

All of the work was completed the existing campus was fully occupied and operational. The student population when the project started was 2,800 and quickly grew to 3,300. Work had to be carefully coordinated around school activities, traffic, and class schedules. In spite of these difficult conditions, no incidents of conflict or injury to students or staff were reported in the ten years of the project’s duration.

Photos © Everett & Soulé