The school required occupancy within nine months from the start of construction, which ruled out masonry or precast on schedule constraints prior to price considerations. This very aggressive schedule required a detailed critical path of scheduling to accommodate and provide efficiency for this fast track project.
One of the main challenges for this project was the lack of casting space, resulting in stacking and casting slabs. The front entrance panel weighed 119,230 pounds, was more than 71-feet wide and was placed on 27-foot poured-in-place columns with 24 lifting points and six braces. To increase the complexity of this panel, it included deep reveals and a crucifix feature that represented the origins and beliefs of the school.
The entrance was topped with an intricately detailed gable and finished with concrete beams that tie the gable back to the structure. Both thin brick and a coating were used as architectural treatments. Further, the natural beauty of concrete was accentuated in the design.
The windows feature intricate, cast-in-head and sill details. The quoins add to the architectural style with their clean solid look.
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