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NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT Green Grove Road NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT, NJ 07753-3598 (732)776-2080 |
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(LEED Gold Certified) The 1927 Summerfield Elementary School has been replaced with a new 3-story 105,000-square-foot facility consisting of 34 classrooms that house pre-kindergarten through grade 5 students. Swing space was not required for the project as the site provided sufficient room to construct the new building and then demolish the old building. The new Summerfield Elementary School is a 550-student facility that architecturally represents a theme relating to the history of the area. As conceptualized, the school features a farm-themed design incorporating LEED environmental guidelines. Aside from traditional academic spaces, it includes a garden, other outdoor activities and an open-air amphitheatre at the rear of a cafetorium accessible to students and the community alike. The district uses the building as a “3-D textbook” for educating students. For example, small sections of the building’s structure are exposed in order to observe various designs and materials in use. This facility is a destination for intra-district field trips and provide special programming activities and learning experiences for all elementary Neptune students. Summerfield School will be the host to SummerWood, a joint Environmental and sustainable outdoor learning laboratory venture with NJ Department of Environmental Office of Green Acres, the Neptune Twp. Board of Education and the Township of Neptune. NJ Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) awarded a design-build contract for this school project. Traditionally a school project design takes 12 to 15 months, and construction another 22 months, with building materials obtained throughout the process. Using the design-build approach where the construction and design process overlap, the design time can be halved and construction accelerated up to 75 percent using pre-purchased materials. This means the entire process could be completed in 22 months – since the foundation, enclosure and other construction can be done, and be ready for finishing, while the design still is in progress. The design-build contract was awarded to Patock Construction Company, who worked together with EI Associates, Architects and Engineers as one unit on the school project. SSP Architects served as bridging architect to oversee the project and monitor its progress on behalf of SCC. This was SCC’s first design-build venture as part of a pilot program. The facility was finished in the Spring of 2006. On May 17, 2006, SCC and Neptune Township School District officials joined teachers, students, parents and community supporters at a dedication and open house for the new school. The project has received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council |