AC Davis High School

How do you maintain a safe educational environment in the midst of campus-wide construction in and around occupied school buildings?

The $73 AC Davis High School project involved 188,437 SF of both new construction and extensive renovations on the occupied, existing campus. Four new buildings included a math and science building, gymnasium, commons, and administration building, which also contained a new library, art studios, and additional classrooms. Sky bridges were also added, connecting the buildings. Two existing buildings on campus were demolished to make room for the new facilities. Renovations took place throughout three other, existing buildings, including upgraded classrooms, structural upgrades, installation of new MEP systems, and remodeling the original gym for use as an auxiliary gym. Site work included architectural concrete plazas, new sidewalks and parking areas, tennis courts, street improvements, and landscaping, as well as replacement of an old, 36-inch-diameter irrigation aqueduct that ran through the project site. The high-performance buildings were constructed under the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP).

With 2,200 students occupying the campus during construction, the safety and education of the students was the first and foremost priority. Since each phase involved construction on multiple buildings simultaneously, the project required precision sequencing and rigorous safety standards to relocate classes for the students in synchronization with building construction and turnover. Existing MEP systems were maintained in areas under construction, while the new systems were installed and brought online at the completion of each phase.  All construction activities, site logistics, and routing were planned around the students and staff, so that the education process occurred unimpeded by the construction.

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