School design process refined
By DAN MORIARTY
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – The School Building Committee was presented a number of options for construction of the proposed Ashley Street elementary school last night.
Architect Margo Jones said that the architectural drawings are at the 90 percent complete stage and will be sent to a cost estimator.
“There is a lot of coordination going on between engineers,” Jones said.
Kristian Whitsett, of Margo Jones Architects, said the engineering teams are making small changes to facilities as the systems are incorporated into the design process.
“Some of the windows (locations) are being changed based upon the request of the structural engineers,” he said.
Changes are also proposed for the mechanical room to be located on the roof of the building, as decisions are made on the physical plant system.
Project manager Paul Kneedler of Skanska USA Building Inc., said the project is within budget and on schedule at the present time.
Kneedler also presented the committee with a list of “value engineering” (VE) items which could result in a total savings of about $700,000, if approved by the committee, to adjust the construction cost when the project is ready for the bid process.
Several of the VE proposals are mutually exclusive, such as a recommendation to eliminate the “green roof” over the kitchen, a $100,000 option, or eliminate the railing for the green roof, an option of about $20,000.
The green roof is one of the components added to the project to increase the green energy points calculated through LEED system.
LEED is an abbreviation for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is internationally recognized environmental program and is currently deployed in more than 30 countries around the world. It provides a means of verifying that a building or a group of buildings were designed and built in a way that would improve energy savings, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and CO2 emissions reduction.
It uses a third-party verification system to determine if a project falls within LEED standards. There are several different levels of certification that a developer can home to attain: certified, silver, gold, and platinum. The third-party individuals must become certified with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) in order to gain an understanding of LEED’s rating system.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) increases reimbursement to projects that attain one of three LEED standards, the higher the standard the greater the percentage of reimbursement. That process is incorporated into the MSBA funding to encourage communities to incorporate energy efficiencies, the use of recycled materials and the use of materials from regional vendors (500 miles circumference) to reduce the use of fuel for transportation.
Kneedler suggested another VE proposal, to replace cobblestone with a painted divider until Mayor Daniel M. Knapik pointed out that the city has a substantial supply of cobblestone removed from under city streets during recent construction and would actually increase the LEED number through the use of local recycled material.
The committee also discussed the pros and cons of flooring materials, carpet versus tile, as part of the Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment (FF&E) Subcommittee report presented by Mindi Sahner, an interior design consultant who has worked on several Margo Jones building projects.
John Kane, the School department financial officer, asked which approach will reduce the cost of materials versus the cost of maintenance.
Sahner said that polyurethane tiles has a functional life of 50 years, while carpet has a functional life of 25 to 30 years. The tiles are designed to be maintained by damp mopping, while the carpet has to be vacuumed and periodically washed.
Kane also asked if tile promoted a healthier environment than carpeting because of the carpet fibers offering an environment for bacteria growth.
Sahner said that technology has evolved in the manufacturing of carpet to reduce that concern and that the commercial carpet now available poses no greater health risk to children than does tile.
“Tile lasts longer, but is more expensive and noisier, while carpet is quieter and creates a homey environment in the class rooms,” she said.
Tile may be a preferred surface for high-volume areas, such as hallways, while carpet preferred inside classrooms.
Dan Moriarty can be reached at [email protected]
