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.

Denver’s e-bike voucher program that helps citizens pay for e-bikes, a component of the city’s carbon reduction plan, has proven extremely popular with residents. Earlier this year, Denver’s effort to get residents to swap some motor vehicle trips for bike trips ran out of vouchers in less than 10 minutes after the program opened to online applications.

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Life science construction completions will peak this year, then drop off substantially

There will be a record amount of construction completions in the U.S. life science market in 2024, followed by a dramatic drop in 2025, according to CBRE. In 2024, 21.3 million sf of life science space will be completed in the 13 largest U.S. markets. That’s up from 13.9 million sf last year and 5.6 million sf in 2022.

Cassidy on Canal, Chicago - designed by SCB

Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Habitat starts leasing Cassidy on Canal, a new luxury rental high-rise in Chicago

New 33-story Class A rental tower, designed by SCB, will offer 343 rental units.

Auburn University new first-year student residence 2024

Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Construction begins on Auburn University’s new first-year residence hall

The new first-year residence hall along Auburn University's Haley Concourse.

K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK Architects, Houston.

Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024

Construction materials prices increase 0.4% in March 2024

Construction input prices increased 0.4% in March compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month.

Rendering of LA General Medical Center Restorative Care Village

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024

The just cause in behavioral health design: Make it right

NAC Architecture shares strategies for approaching behavioral health design collaboratively and thoughtfully, rather than simply applying a set of blanket rules.

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

A San Antonio school will provide early childhood education to a traditionally under-resourced region

In San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA, which provides preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and HOLT Group, which owns industrial and other companies, recently broke ground on an early childhood education: the South Education Center.

University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024

Columbia University to begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building

Columbia University will soon begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 80,700-sf building for the university’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will provide eight floors of biomedical research and lab facilities as well as symposium and community engagement spaces.

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

Surprise, surprise: Students excel in modernized K-12 school buildings

Too many of the nation’s school districts are having to make it work with less-than-ideal educational facilities. But at what cost to student performance and staff satisfaction?

Currently Reading

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

Tags

Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2024

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024

K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024

Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: