« Back to Facilities Management News Home
Danvers, Mass. — March 16, 2015 — Despite an especially snowy winter this year, construction on the St. John’s Prep new 74,000-square-foot High School Academic Building remains on track, Windover Construction announced.
“You’re always prepared for winter on any building project in New England, of course, though this year we’ve really been tested,” said Windover Vice President Stuart Meurer. “The entire St. John’s site was enclosed and heated before the first major storm, so thankfully the weather has not impacted our progress.”
Meurer pointed out a few minor delays in some deliveries and lost man hours due to the weather, but nothing that seriously jeopardizes the timeline. All the larger mechanical components were delivered and installed last fall. Right now, Windover is installing the electrical, plumbing, and smaller mechanical systems.
“We are quite pleased with the quality of the construction so far and impressed with efforts to mitigate possible weather-related delays and costs. Despite the winter we’ve had, everything is on schedule and on budget,” said Steve Cunningham, assistant head of school for facilities.
Set to open in September 2015, the five-story, $22.1 million high school building will house St. John’s computer science, mathematics, science, and world languages departments. The facility is designed for a collaborative, hands-on, multidisciplinary approach to curriculum known as STREAM, which encompasses science, technology, religious studies, engineering, the arts (including fine arts, applied art, humanities), and mathematics.
The construction project itself is an educational opportunity for the students. They witnessed blasting in their science class and learned real-world math applications in design and construction. The Environmental Club visited the site and discovered how sustainable design/build practices are carried out. The 3D Drawing class worked on 3-D models of existing campus buildings with the expertise ofKent Kovacs and Joe Marshall of Flansburgh Architects, the architectural firm involved with construction.
Additional topics planned for the students include the use of math to lay out the building on the site, the chemical reactions involved in concrete, and the importance of understanding physics in designing buildings.
St. John’s Prep provides project updates on the “Eye on Construction” page of its website. The page also features a “Track Our Progress!” picture of the day and a time-lapse movie of construction from September to December 2014. Find it here.
Windover creates sophisticated custom homes, state-of-the-art commercial and institutional spaces, and urban multi-family communities, all executed with a passion for attention to detail. The winner of numerous industry awards, Windover is headquartered in Beverly, Mass., and works with clients throughout New England. For more information, visit www.windover.com.
