Camp Allen Elementary School

Camp Allen Elementary School
Serving PK-5
(federal grant funding covered 80% of the construction cost)

The existing Camp Allen Elementary School was demolished and replaced with a new two story Pre-K through 5th grade elementary school on the same site. Due to site and facility limitations, however,  construction occurred on site while the facility was still in use. The construction zone and active school spaces were separated with a focus on minimizing disruptions to the learning environment.

Construction and demolition occurred in two major phases. Phase 1 consisted of demolition of a portion of the existing building that consists of pre-engineered metal building addition, construction of about 80% of the new building, and site amenities on the northwest portion of the site. In Phase 2, the existing school was demolished and the remainder of the new building completed, along with remaining site work.

The new 571-student facility includes a two-story academic wing broken down by grade level. Adjacent classrooms share a group project room to allow breakout space for student collaboration. Academic programs common to all grade levels such as the cafeteria, gymnatorium, and art and music classrooms, are housed in a one-story area that is easily accessible to all grades.

Several sustainable design features were provided in this new facility. Classrooms include d tall windows in order to drive daylight deep into the classroom, which has a positive impact on student learning. Other sustainable design strategies included light-colored roofing materials that reflect heat and subsequently lower heating and cooling requirements, water-efficient landscaping, and efficient site design that will reduce the effects of stormwater runoff.

Norfolk Public Schools Modernization
The S.B. Ballard Construction Company’s Project Team was awarded the contract to build five (5) schools for the City of Norfolk, totaling 564,982 SF. This project involved the design and construction of these new facilities at five (5) different locations and demolition of the older existing facilities. The Project Team performed the work in overlapping phases which allowed all five schools to be completed in a 5 year span.

The Public-Private Partnership / Design-Build process provided the platform for the Project Team to engage the public in numerous community meetings throughout Norfolk, VA. The team held forums in each area’s school zone to gather community input and discuss plans for each new school. The Project Team took the  public  input  from  the community meetings and incorporated this feedback into the different programs that were outlined by the City of Norfolk and Norfolk Public Schools (the City and School System). Special attention was also given to the existing design and construction of the surrounding buildings as well as the specific needs of the local neighborhoods and businesses for the new school construction.

Camp Allen is the One (1) of the five (5) new schools which is located within the City of Norfolk but resides on federal property of a densely populated Military Installation that is home to some of the nation’s most trained counter- terrorism personnel. This unique situation posed challenges regarding access to the site, multiple inspecting authorities, and additional requirements. Because of the use of the PPEA / Design-Build process, SBBCC worked closely with the City of Norfolk and the Federal Government to ensure that all design features and security requirements were closely monitored and incorporated into the design and construction of this school.

The City and School System saved millions of dollars in design, engineering, and construction costs through economies of scale for design and construction and bulk purchases of material and equipment. This approach saved valuable time and money during the development of construction drawings.

Constructability issues were minimized through the collaboration of the design and construction teams and the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM). S. B. Ballard Construction Company successfully managed and coordinated this complex project to build, demolish, and transition students and faculty from the old schools to the new school buildings with no interruption. This detailed, multi-phased success story is a testament to S.B. Ballard Construction Company’s due diligence in working with the local communities, City and School System to learn about their needs and deliver on our commitment.

Project Features:
Academic Wing
Media Center
Cafeteria Seating for 240 Students
Art Classrooms
Music Classrooms
Gymnatorium Seating for 600 People
Commercial Kitchen
LEED Silver

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES:
Better-Use Energy Practices: developed from choosing and designing a sustainable site, and by meeting high standards of indoor environmental quality | Energy Cost Savings of 30.6% | Reduced potable water use by 30.28% | Qualified as a ‘Brownfield Site’ meaning the site was contaminated with hazardous material at some point in time. Instead of finding a different, undisturbed site, SBBCC and designers chose to remediate the land and reduce the need for converting land | Low-Emitting Materials | Green Power | Exemplary performance in Recycled Content and Regional Materials (Construction)