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Completion 20: Niles Township High Schools
Cost: $111 million
Seeking to improve the physical environment
for learning resulted in renovation and expansion projects
at the two Niles Township high schools in Skokie, Ill.
A $65 million referendum that voters approved in 1998 helped
fund the project. A state grant and other sources of financial
support make up the balance.
Additions to Niles North High School include a three-story
academic wing, a physical fitness space and fine arts areas.
The school has 25 new rooms and encompasses 650,000 sq. ft.
of space.
Niles West High School mirrored its sister by also acquiring
a three-story academic wing and fine arts addition, but also
received a cafeteria and an automotive and technology space.
It has 17 new rooms and encompasses 500,000 sq. ft. of space.
Cogeneration facilities, which will supply the schools with
about 90 percent of their energy, were also built at each
school to house Cummins engines with 1,750-KW generators.
The balance of the needed energy is to be supplied by utilities.
The $3.2 million cost is expected to be paid in about 10 years
in reduced energy bills.
Because of the engines' noise, the cogeneration facilities
have been located away from the school buildings.
A total of 100,000 sq. ft. of space was demolished and rebuilt
at each school.
Infrastructure replacements were extensive, including lighting,
wiring, air-handling systems, data cabling, sprinklers and
plumbing. The age of the schools, about 40 years old, drove
the replacements.
The asbestos typically found in insulation and tiles was removed
because long-term exposure to the material represents a health
risk.
Scheduling a School Project
Project scheduling was done to avoid disturbing learning.
The infrastructure replacements, for instance, were done piecemeal
because the systems were changed during the summer breaks,
when classes were not in regular session.
Demolition was also done bit by bit because new spaces needed
to be built before old ones were gutted.
Moreover, double shifts during the summer allowed teams to
take advantage of the lack of students.
The total amount of work and the occasionally tight segmenting
resulted in 12 construction phases.
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Key
Players
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Owner:
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Niles Township Community High School District 219,
Skokie, Ill.
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Construction Manager:
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IHC Construction Cos. LLC, Elgin, Ill.
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Architect:
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Legat Architects Inc., Waukegan, Ill.
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Building Technology Package and Heating and Electrical
(North):
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Siemens Building Technology Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill.
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Structural Consultant (West) and Civil Consultant:
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Larson Engineering of Illinois, Naperville, Ill.
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Structural Consultant (North):
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Pease Borst & Associates LLC, Park Ridge, Ill.
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Mechanical Consultant:
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KJWW Engineering Consultants, Batavia, Ill.
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Electrical Consultant:
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Cohen & Associates Inc., Chicago
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