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<\/a><\/p>\nThe fact that Headmaster Drew Casertano requests Consigli\u2019s carpenters by name says a lot about the collaborative design and construction team that has been working with New York\u2019s Millbrook School for close to ten years.<\/p>\n
In discussing the strengths of the on-going collaboration, Casertano explains, \u201cWe now have long term relationships with the two key entities in our construction\u2014Philadelphia\u2019s Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) and Consigli\u2014and they work very well together. There is mutual admiration. And the projects have been great successes. West Hall came in on budget and on time and it\u2019s hugely successful. The Dining Hall is on budget and on time and will be transformational on this campus. The pre-construction role that the construction team engages in, with us and with VMA, is a highlight and central to the success of these projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
This independent college preparatory school, just outside the village of Millbrook in the Hudson River Valley, has grown since its early days to today\u2019s student body of 300. A red brick, neo-Colonial campus, its buildings overlook lush landscape. As the school grows, the on-going mission is to preserve and enhance the best of its design and architecture so returning alumni will say \u201cIt looks just the same, only better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2007, a core team has worked with the school\u2019s leadership on a series of building projects that do exactly this. Beginning with the Hamilton Math & Science Center, opened in 2008, the results of this partnership now includes the transformation of the historic barn into \u201cThe Barn,\u201d a new student center; the expansion of the Reese Squash Center; West Hall, a girls\u2019 dormitory, and this summer, the completion of the new 400-seat Dining Hall.<\/p>\n
Casertano expanded on why the construction team\u2019s early involvement is so important to reaching this goal, \u201cWe want high level architecture\u2014slate roofs, custom millwork\u2014and we want it to be sustainable and well-built and that takes a high level of collaboration. For each project, our main concerns are always the same\u2014to build something modern and green in a way that is consistent with the campus architecture and fits our budget\u2014and that\u2019s no small challenge. I am charged with bringing every project in at the agreed price, not a penny more. The team has worked very well with us in getting us construction cost information that allows to us to assess options. It\u2019s a terrific collaboration, a real back-and-forth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consigli\u2019s Project Executive, Scott Cruikshank, noted that for the new Dining Hall, the team prepared a series of 18 cost estimates to support the school\u2019s decision-making process as they finalized the design. And this rigorous process was not just an estimating exercise, it also involved the construction team in a \u201cdesign-assist\u201d role with the design team, identifying ways to achieve Millbrook\u2019s aesthetic goals within the budget.<\/p>\n
VMA Principal, Daniela Voith, FAIA, highlighted important ways the construction team assisted with the design, early on, \u201cOur first design concept for the Dining Hall sought to make the ceiling as high as possible using a tray-shaped design. The all-steel roof truss and structure required to build it, as we first designed it, was very expensive. The Consigli team looked at our design and suggested several creative alternatives, resulting in some significant cost savings, while maintaining the essence of the design intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first recommendation was that, if we could bring the ceiling height down from 24 and half feet, to 23 feet, the team could use a pre-fabricated truss for the main section of the building, sitting atop steel columns. So with only a slight loss of interior volume, the project saved a significant amount of money. Also, the team suggested that smaller structural spans, in other areas of the building, could be built using light gauge, rather than heavy gauge steel, for further savings. These types of suggestions are very, very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another vital part of this long term relationship? Consigli\u2019s team of in-house carpenters. While very few construction management firms have craftsmen on staff, Consigli does, and their skilled contributions are central to the successful work for Millbrook\u2014and the reason that these craftsmen are now on a first-name basis with the architects and the school\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
As Millbrook has expanded its campus while honoring its architectural heritage, creating an aesthetic continuity between the original and new campus buildings is a central goal for VMA\u2019s design work, and for Consigli\u2019s construction of that design. Millbrook\u2019s style of Neo-Colonial architecture is notable for its distinctive interior trim finishes\u2014like bands of crisp white crown moldings that grace the tops of walls, drawing the eye upward. And it is architectural details like these, in both old and new spaces, which help create this continuity.<\/p>\n
The trick with this custom trim work? Built with many layers, and many angles, it requires exacting precision. And there is a lot of it. If millwork is cut at an angle just off what is needed\u2014that crispness is lost. This is where Consigli\u2019s carpentry team has risen to the architects\u2019 challenge\u2014again and again. Voith commented, \u201cWe\u2019re very fond of the millwork crew that Consigli brings in, the same carpenters have worked with us on all four projects. We understand what they are capable of and we like to challenge them in terms of really difficult details. Those guys are just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joking about the amount of trim work that is currently being installed in the Dining Hall, VMA\u2019s Project Architect Sennah Loftus recalled, \u201cWhen I was on site last week everyone was trying to figure out, if we laid out all the trim work end-to-end, how many times it would wrap around the Earth!\u201d<\/p>\n
Headmaster Casertano tells a story about one of Consigli\u2019s much-requested carpenters, John Kennedy, known as \u201cthe Duke.\u201d At one point, while the Duke was working on transforming the campus\u2019s 200-year-old Barn into the new Student Center, renovations were also underway to expand the Squash Center. As the Headmaster visited the work on the Squash Center, he noted custom millwork that he knew needed the highest skill. \u201cI talked with the team and asked if we could please have the Duke come over to the Squash project. He did, and he did all the work beautifully. It\u2019s fun to see people take such pride in their work.\u201d<\/p>\n