Buckingham Browne & Nichols Middle School<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t Consigli\u2019s largest project, though, for its scale, it was dense with challenges. From how to access a small, residential neighborhood site, to building a new foundation and ground level floor beneath a 19th century building, and integrating a new entrance boardwalk and deck\u2014the team delivered solutions, while also protecting signature campus trees, just a few feet away.<\/p>\nBased in Cambridge, Mass., Buckingham Browne & Nichols\u2019 (BB&N) goal was to improve the school\u2019s existing home\u2014the 19th\u00a0century Musgrave mansion and its 1960s-era Vaillant building wing\u2014by providing facilities to better support the academic program, as well as unifying space to create a stronger sense of community.<\/p>\n
In response, Cambridge\u2019s Austin Architects transformed the L-shaped Middle School by dropping the grade on the south side of the mansion and removing the central masonry linking building, replacing it with a glass-clad addition that unified the buildings and maximized underused basement space. The grade change\u00a0allowed a new level to be added beneath the Musgrave building, and a new main entry\u00a0ramp and courtyard\u00a0deck to be built.<\/p>\n
A three-phased project, our work began with a six-month pre-construction process to assist the school in aligning budget, design and project goals. The second phase prepared the site for construction by doing selective demolition and building exploration, and the design of the building\u2019s structural shoring that would support the expansion. In building the project\u2019s schedule, the team took strategic advantage of the school\u2019s spring break to tackle the most intrusive exploratory work, while the six-month building phase took advantage of the school\u2019s quieter summer months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this wasn\u2019t officially a \u2018design\/build\u2019 project, in effect that is how collaboratively we and Austin Architects worked together,\u201d said Consigli\u2019s Project Engineer Pete Orlando.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, the complicated structural shoring that allowed us to lower the basement level of the Musgrave mansion by ten feet, was developed in a very hands-on way, between the design team\u2019s structural engineer John Born, and our Carpenter Foreman Mike Fountain. Fountain did a lot of exploratory work with Born, to make sure we understood how the existing building was built, before we could plan how we would reframe it,\u201d Orlando explained.<\/p>\n
Consigli\u2019s Superintendent Luke Kenbeek noted another plus for the project, the large scope of work being completed by Consigli\u2019s in-house team of workers. \u201cThe fact that our in-house self-perform team was building the project\u2019s site work allowed us to pivot very flexibly between different aspects of the work. We could have our carpenters working on concrete formwork in the morning, and then mid-morning work on shoring, and then in the afternoon, be placing concrete. Our daily stand-up meetings were an important part of our managing this flexibility. All told, our in-house team completed the project\u2019s site work, concrete, siding, rough carpentry and millwork installation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early on, planning the project\u2019s site logistics also benefited from a creative proposal by the team. Initially, BB&N hoped that the team could avoid working on the site\u2019s south side, where the school\u2019s historic trees are within a few feet of the building on one side, and a few feet from an adjacent, small play area, on the other. The team\u2019s concern: this would likely extend the project\u2019s schedule, since it would require complex, time-consuming crane work to accomplish. How to solve this site conundrum and create a logistics plan that would allow the team the access to the foundation and linking building, protect the trees, while also completing the work for the spring semester?<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways these trees were as important to our client as the buildings, working around them carefully was central to doing the job well,\u201d said Kenbeek, talking about the two towering trees that have long greeted students and visitors to the Middle School. \u201cOur solution was a temporary road that we could build over the top of the play area. It took just two days to put it in place. It ran right along the edge of where we built the deck and then turned to run behind the Vaillant wing. It allowed us access to the foundations and to the back of the building complex. When the work was complete we removed it. It\u2019s as if it was never there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orlando emphasized other collaborative solutions the team developed, \u201cThe site work\u2014which was the largest single component of the project\u2014was another area we worked on in a design\/build fashion with the designers. We regraded the entrance area\u2019s new deck in an effort to lessen the impact on the beech trees, and we proposed an alternative which was a great solution to keep clear of the trees\u2019 root systems. We recommended using helical piles to support the new ramp and deck, instead of the original design\u2019s concrete pile system, which needed us to dig holes close to the roots. Helical piles are a lot like large galvanized screws. They allowed us to work around the root systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s work also required sensitivity to the fact that, in general, this was the third construction project on this quiet, tree-lined street in just two years. Keeping a low profile was a high priority for the team. Kenbeek explained, \u201cBetween a recent \u2018This Old House\u2019 project by WGBH, and a year-long sewer-upgrade project by the City of Cambridge, the neighbors were experiencing some construction fatigue. We stayed behind the scenes as much as possible and worked with the project\u2019s consultants, Cambridge-based CSL, if we needed to let neighbors know about weekend work or short-term street closures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, with students enjoying their renovated school, what had been a basement crawl space is today 3,200 square feet of new academic and community space, and the redesigned first floor features a 1,600-square-foot Learning Commons, a student and faculty hub for information, assisted research, and technology support. Overall, the school is brimming with new classroom, staff and meeting spaces, while the building\u2019s technology and infrastructure are up to 21st century codes and standards.<\/p>\n
With the school\u2019s grand reopening, Middle School Director Mary Dolbear celebrated the project\u2019s successful culmination, \u201cI think we\u2019ve succeeded in creating a space that both has the history in the front of the building and then a real invitation into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This fall, students are returning to class at schools of all types. Among them, notable schools Consigli has recently built: Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Conn., beginning a new chapter this fall; KIPP Academy Boston, an inspiring charter school newly opened in Boston\u2019s Mattapan neighborhood; and the independent Buckingham Browne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Back-to-School with Great Thinking, and Great Care - Consigli Construction<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n