The original North Haven Middle School was constructed in 1960 and encompassed approximately 140,000 square feet. The school functioned continuously without any major renovations or updates since the time it was built, and was eventually deemed “out of date and minimally adequate for a 21st century middle school,” according to a New England Association of Schools and Colleges report. To help remedy this, the Town formed a Building Committee to explore its options for updating the facility.
DTC and Perkins Eastman Architects were selected as a design team to perform a condition assessment of the existing school and subsequently determined that the facility was indeed in need of refurbishment and/or replacement in order to create a modern educational facility. The design team then performed a feasibility study to explore the Town’s options – renovate, build new, or a combination of both. It was ultimately decided by the Building Committee, with guidance from the design team, that it was in the town’s best interest to renovate core portions of the existing building, demolish the existing classroom wings and add a new two story academic wing. This option was sent to the Town for referendum, which was passed with ease.
The new facility contains high efficiency variable refrigerant HVAC systems, ultra-low flow plumbing fixtures and all LED lighting with daylight harvesting controls throughout the facility. Energy modeling was also performed by DTC which resulted in a building that will be approximately 25% better than current energy code requirements. The efficiency levels were high enough to obtain significant rebates for the Town from the local utility company. Additionally, state of the art technology and building security systems were provided to bring the school safely into the 21st century.
Various site improvements were also designed by DTC, including improved vehicular circulation, drop-off and site security. The area of the site where the classroom additions were demolished made way for a new multi-purpose field with athletic lighting for night use.
Gilbane was selected as the Construction Manager and began construction in the summer of 2015, with project completion and closeout scheduled for Fall of 2017.
The project is completely designed in REVIT which is a building information modeling software for architects, and engineers. It allows users to design a building and its components in 3D and access building information from the building model’s database.
