Constructing the Perfect Design
By: Tricia Hendrickson, FF&E Project Manager, Gafcon, Inc.
By: Tricia Hendrickson, FF&E Project Manager, Gafcon, Inc.
FARMINGTON, Conn. — Building information modeling (BIM) is no longer a new concept. The handy school-planning tool is fast becoming the norm in many school construction projects.
Economic conditions have resulted in new business coming more in the form of renovations than new construction, and the BIM process comes in handy when trying to fit new buildings into existing layouts, according to experts in the field.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Green Schoolhouse Series, a an effort to construct green schoolhouses across the country, kicked off with the groundbreaking of the Roadrunner Elementary School in the Washington Elementary School District — the first LEED Platinum schoolhouse built by volunteers.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — After more than two years of construction, the new Wolfe Center for the Arts at Bowling Green State University is complete and ready to welcome students, staff and faculty.
The new 93,000-square-foot arts center — designed with clean lines, steely hues and concrete and metal material — stands in contrast to its brick surroundings, a design concept created by international architectural firm Snøhetta.

Whether it’s from supplies on a traveling cart or in a designated art room, art teachers must be ready for anything, according to Marvin Bartel — artist, former teacher and art facility consultant.

Credit: Sam Fentress Photography
ST. LOUIS — Chaminade College Prepatory School in St. Louis opened the doors to its new performing and fine arts center — a $17.5 million, 80,000-square-foot facility designed to support a variety of arts educational programs.

DAVIS, Calif. — The University of California, Davis earned its third LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new 83,000-square-foot complex.

CHICAGO — Construction of a new $64 million residence hall has begun at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
The project is the third phase of a program to replace six residence halls at the university,
known informally as the ‘Six Pack,’ along with construction of a new dining and residential programs building.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The first sorority house in the United States to earn LEED certification, the Pi Beta Phi chapter house at Mississippi State University, opened its doors this fall to its first group of residents.

AMHERST, Mass. — A new “high-tech” police station opened on the University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus — a facility that will call attention to the university’s renewed focus on campus safety.