Angeline Academy of Innovation

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The project consists of the development of an 18.80 +/- acre new school site located south of State Road 52, north of the future Ridge Road extension and west of Sun Lake Blvd. The project involves the construction of a new facility of approximately 186,882 gross square feet; including, a 1 story Administration area, 1 story Dining / Multipurpose area with fully functioning Kitchen, 2 story Media, Band and Art areas, and 4 story Classroom wing with all areas connected by a 1 and 2 story Communicating Space / Central Corridor. Site development includes parking lot, drives, walkway canopies, aluminum shade system, fencing, walking trail, sidewalks, color concrete hardscape, chiller / generator plant, site lighting, underground utilities, landscaping and irrigation. The new facility is designed to accommodate 1,700 students.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The project was a tight schedule. The project was met with a challenging design change after construction started, changing the west face of the building from a tilt-panel elevation to a feature curtain wall. This required immense coordination between the design team, contractor, and the concrete contractor.

The schedule was deceptively challenging because of the bracing requirements of the 4-story panels. All panels for the main structure had to be braced from the outside, meaning the braces had to be installed on the panel while being held by the crane. This required a crane for the panel, a crane for the brace, and a boom lift for personnel to anchor the brace onto the outside face of the panel. Many areas of the building had to be re-braced in conjunction with the decking and pouring effort for the concrete decks and roofing to achieve the right diaphragm conditions.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

In addition to dealing with the complications of redesign, there were some unique panels on this project. The two of the tallest panels also had large openings (Cantilever) designed to showcase the stair tower structural elements. A curtain wall assembly was incorporated into the openings. This affected the ability to provide a closed envelope for much longer than initially anticipated due to material shortages from different trades.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment?

The school serves as a landmark project in the Angeline Community. The school hosts students from across the county to learn Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in hands-on environments, complete with robotics labs, 3D printing facilities, and Computer Science labs, as well as typical chemistry labs, art programs, and a music program. The school will share an athletic facility with a neighboring charter school, complete with a track and turf field.