Rich, W.T., Co., Inc.

Owner:

The City of Newton, Newton, MA

Architect:

DiNisco Design Partnership - Boston, MA

Scope Of Work

The original Angier Elementary School, built in 1919, received its last significant upgrade in the 1930's.  The school was the oldest in the district with many of the classrooms being 40-50% smaller than the required program area. Renovation or expansion of this structure was deemed impractical and, ultimately, more costly than constructing a new school.  The Carr Elementary School served as the temporary home of Angier while construction was underway. W.T. Rich Company was selected as the construction manager for the new Angier Elementary School construction project, as well as the construction manager for two other major Newton school projects as part of a district-wide school improvement initiative.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

The build-out of a new 75,000 SF state-of-the-art school facility

The three-story building, including gymnasium, is steel-framed with concrete floors and metal framed walls

The exterior of the building consists of brick veneer, curtain walls, and metal panels. The interior design scope included a well-planned layout to meet the school's space requirements and provide increased safety elements, and numerous elegant architectural features. 

To support the District’s goal of achieving LEED certification for the new school, W.T. Rich utilized locally-sourced and recycled materials, including low-emission volatile organic compounds within paint and sealants

The school also installed energy efficient lighting, new HVAC systems, and new building controls systems

PROJECT INFORMATION

Location: Newton, MA

Completion: January 2016

Contract Value: $28 million

Size: 75,000 SF

Type: New Construction - Sustainable

Owner: The City of Newton, Newton, MA

Designer: DiNisco Design Partnership -  Boston, MA

Owners Project Manager: NV5 / Joslin Lesser & Associates - Watertown, MA

Delivery Method: CM at Risk  (Chapter 149A)

Awards & Honors: LEED® Gold Certification

Contact WT Rich

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

During the project, the owner shortened the completion date by two months on an already aggressive deadline. W.T. Rich worked in partnership with the City and the project team to allow for multiple trades to work simultaneously, using extra shifts and weekends

A constrained worksite that abutted railroad tracks required our team to coordinate with the MBTA to construct a new retaining wall without interruption to Green Line service

Ground vibration needed to be minimized as much as possible to prevent potential damage to the adjacent church. Our team restricted the size of site equipment used and temporarily installed seismic sensors in the nearby church for monitoring purposes

 

RESULTS

W.T. Rich was able to achieve substantial completion and acquire the certificate of occupancy on schedule by early January 2016, and classes began immediately thereafter. In December of 2016, the Angier Elementary School earned the LEED® Gold certification for excellence in sustainable design and construction. W.T. Rich Company was also awarded the construction of two other Newton schools as part of a district-wide school improvement initiative.