 |
Just as construction about to start, Nitz Development & Construction Co. was thrown a major league curve. As Nitz was preparing to mobilize for the construction of the Spencerville, Md., Adventist Academy, it learned the project architect’s final design was rejected by Montgomery County officials. A local ordinance specified that the new building for the Spencerville Adventist Academy would have to be LEED certified. Working closely with Varco Pruden Buildings’ engineers and the architects at The Thomson Group, Nitz Development, a Varco Pruden builder, was able to deliver the two-story, 100,000-square-foot facility with a small delay the materials arrived just five school days later and with LEED certification. Plus, the minimal 2 percent cost increase caused by the revised construction was actually offset by a 20 percent savings on energy costs for the building owners.
Established in 1943, Spencerville Adventist Academy is owned and operated by the Seventhday Adventist Church. The school, which accepts students of all faiths, began as a one-room school with seven students. The pre-K through 12th grade school now has 360 students.
The school building itself is not only visually impressive with field stone and split face masonry, but it also incorporates features that were enthusiastically welcomed by the faculty and staff. The most notable is that the design keeps the younger students separated from the older students despite being in the same building. The building has two entrances: one on the north side for sixth graders and younger and the other on the south side for seventh graders and older. There is also a doublesided stage with theater seating on each side.
The school includes a college-size gymnasium and locker rooms, commercial kitchen, two science labs, computer lab, band room and choral music room, and there is even a landscaped courtyard that is visible from many of the classrooms.
The use of Varco Pruden’s pre-engineered metal system created financial savings large enough to allow for the addition of a 7,000-squarefoot basement, the creation of the courtyard and an upgraded lobby space.
The use of Varco Pruden’s pre-engineered metal system created financial savings large enough to allow for the addition of a 7,000-squarefoot basement, the creation of the courtyard and an upgraded lobby space.
Some of the major factors in converting the building into LEED certification included upgrading the HVAC to a much more efficient model; switching to improved lighting fixtures; using low- VOC paints and finishes; installing plumbing that required less water; using high-performance glass and acoustically improved partitions; and utilizing a Varco Pruden steel framing system that has a high recycle content.
The HVAC unit was one that just came on the market. The lighting provided higher candle power with fewer fixtures, which translated into less wattage and fewer bulbs to replace.
Builder: Nitz Development & Construction, Springfield, Va.
Architect: The Thomson Group, Southern Pines, N.C.
Metal building system: Varco Pruden Buildings, Memphis, Tenn., www.vp.com
