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

Owner:

City of Gloucester – Gloucester, MA

Architect:

Dore & Whittier Architects - Newburyport, MA

Scope Of Work

This project centered on the construction of a new 66,000 square foot school on the site of the original West Parish Elementary School. The original school was built in 1949 and suffered from deficiencies in major building systems. Due to construction occurring during the school year, W.T. Rich was contracted to deliver temporary classroom space before work could start on the new school.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

The main three-story building is a steel-framed building with an attached single-story wing that houses the gymnasium, kitchen and cafeteria/auditorium.

As a nod to the nautical history of Gloucester, the main hallway of the academic wing was constructed using glue-laminated beams to emulate Nineteenth-century shipbuilding techniques. Additionally, custom lighting fixtures inside the main entry were crafted to resemble buoys

PROJECT INFORMATION

Location: Gloucester, MA

Completion: 2016

Contract Value: $30 million

Size: 66,000 SF

Type: Demolition & New Construction

Owner: City of Gloucester – Gloucester, MA

Designer: Dore & Whittier Architects - Newburyport, MA

Delivery Method: CM-at-Risk (M.G.L. Chapter 149A)

Awards and Honors

LEED® Gold Certification

Contact WT Rich

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

In order to provide temporary space for the students, W.T. Rich had to renovate a nearby former parochial school. Our team completed this phase in just ten weeks, keeping the overall project on schedule.

During preconstruction, W.T. Rich recommended that the original foundation design be adjusted to accommodate subsurface soil conditions most effectively. By switching from steel piles to a rammed aggregate pier system, the team ultimately saved the project $1 million and only added one month of construction work.

Other challenges included encountering significant ledge on site that required blasting to remove, and above-average snowfall that meant removing large amounts of snow from the site. Our team maintained a rigorous focus on schedule execution in order to meet the original completion date.

 

RESULTS

By working in partnership with the City of Gloucester and Knight, Bagge & Anderson (owner’s project manager), W.T. Rich was able to achieve substantial completion and certificate of occupancy on schedule. Despite some unforeseen existing conditions and design challenges, the project was still delivered with significant unused owner contingency funds and to the great satisfaction of the City of Gloucester.