Holy Family School is a Preschool through 8th grade elementary school that was built in 1956 and added on to in 1958. They currently have an enrollment of approximately 400 students. A few expansions and renovations have taken place over the years, but the school’s main office has not been changed since the 1970s. An adjacent classroom provided an area of expansion to enlarge the administrative offices and incorporate a print shop for the school and church. Over the years, minor improvements were made but the office was outdated in nearly everyway - from the finishes and furniture to the electrical and mechanical systems. The number and location of electrical and data outlets were inadequate, the lighting was poor, the layout of the space was inefficient. The ceiling and floor contained asbestos and the finish on the walls was a combination of painted drywall, wood paneling, lime green carpet, and 12” x 12” ceiling tiles. The carpet was worn, stained, and desperately in need of replacement.

Solution:

The school contacted VerHalen to meet with them to discuss some potential improvements. Project Manager Brian Wickman met with their staff to assess the situation and listen to their ideas and concerns. These included:

To help layout the space, Brian called on nationally certified interior designer, and fellow VerHalen employee, Anne Baeten, to assist. Through a series of meetings with the staff, the new layout was developed.

The new plans called for removing the wall between the existing office and hallway and extending the office an additional three and a half feet. A key design element was the glass in the new wall that would give the office staff 180 degree visibility to its customers, the parents and students of HFS, and allow them to see from the main entrance of the school to the main interior hallway. The wall design incorporates a transaction window which allows customers to efficiently conduct their business.

A separate project the school was considering involved cooling a small closet area near the technology classroom that housed the school’s servers. The servers were over heating and performance issues were a nuisance. Classes and staff work were being interrupted and the technology coordinator was forced to deal with these issues. This project alone would have cost over $7,000.00. Through the design process, it was suggested that we move the servers to the print shop. Cooling this area was necessary to preserve the print shop copiers and this would allow us to “kill two birds, with one stone!” This demonstrates clearly the advantage of our Total Project concept.

Our Total Project Management concept provided VerHalen with the ability to conduct this project from design to completion. Our staff was able to accommodate every need of Holy Family School and either perform or coordinate the necessary work ourselves.

Other project highlights include:

• The installation of a new card access system. This, along with the ability to clearly see the front entrance, greatly enhanced the security of the school.
• A new custom work area for the school secretary resulting in an ergonomic and efficient work space.
• The incorporation of a hospital sleeper chair to accommodate students who may become ill during the day
• A teacher work area to allow them a dedicated work station for class preparation during breaks in their schedules
• Energy efficient fluorescent lighting with parabolic lenses throughout provide quality consistent light levels throughout the space
• New coordinating finishes including:
  • Carpet in the office and vinyl composition tile in the print shop
  • Vinyl wall covering throughout the office areas
  • Armstrong acoustical ceilings throughout the space
  • Custom laminate shelving in the office store room and print shop
• Office furniture and accessories for the office and hall reception area
• Creation of an additional office for the assistant principal

Before and After

Key Partnets:

Stiegler Electric- provided the design build electrical plans and solutions for the network cabling required on the project.

Tweet Garot Mechanical- provided the design build plans for the heating and cooling on the project including the installation of all the necessary equipment.

Martin Security- provided the security plan and installation of the card access system at front entry.

Closet Concepts- provided the design, construction, and installation of the custom storage systems.

Quality Insulators/Asbestos Removal, Inc. - provided the asbestos abatement plans including the removal and disposal of all the affected material from the floors and ceilings.