Dimeo Construction: Newton North High School

Building in a fish bowl With an original price tag of nearly $200 million, the new high school in a Boston suburb is one of the most expensive secondary school projects in Massachusetts history. Keith Regan learns how the project management process has helped guide the job along to an expected under-budget completion, even amid intense scrutiny of the work. In some ways the new Newton North High School resembles a university building project more than the kind of high school youÔÇÖd find in a city of 80,000-plus in Eastern Massachusetts. With a main academic building covering a half-million square feet as well as athletic fields and other amenities to support a student body of more than 2,000, the $190 million project became a lightning rod for controversy, thanks largely to its heavyweight price tag, long before the first shovel went into the ground.  But as construction managers Dimeo Construction bring the main part of the project in for an on-time completion in the summer of 2010, the project also appears to be set to come in under budget, a significant accomplishment given the level of attention being focused on the work from both inside and outside the community. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre very much aware of the attention on the project,ÔÇØ says senior project manager Steve Wilkins. ÔÇ£The joke on the site is that the New England Aquarium has moved to Newton, because weÔÇÖre working in a fishbowl. WeÔÇÖve been very cognizant of the costs, and at the end of the day weÔÇÖll finish the project below budget.ÔÇØ Project executive Frank Allard says the massive project was kept on budget and on schedule thanks in large part to the Massachusetts Chapter 149A process used to deliver it. ÔÇ£In our experience, this is a process that allows for as much pre-planning as needed for smooth execution of the work,ÔÇØ says Allard, who has been with Providence, Rhode Island-based Dimeo for more than 20 years. ÔÇ£The collaboration between the project teamsÔÇöthe owner, designer, construction manager and subcontractorsÔÇöhas been very positive and has been the key component to the success of the project.ÔÇØ Chapter 149A is the public construction-manager-at-risk process used for major building projects in the Bay State. In addition to spelling out requirements for early selection of key trades and subcontractorsÔÇöwhich enables them to help provide input to final design choices and help create a more cost-effective and constructible projectÔÇöthe process requires owners to hire an ownerÔÇÖs project manager to help oversee construction costs and assist in making decisions as the need arises during the work. ÔÇ£The delivery method has certainly helped expedite the project from the standpoint that the owner, architect and construction manager are all working toward the same clear goals from the beginning,ÔÇØ says Wilkins, who has been with Dimeo for about four years. ÔÇ£All that pre-planning work made for a fairly straightforward and smooth work process.ÔÇØ Dimeo expects to attain substantial completion by June 1 this year and begin turning the new high schoolÔÇöwhich will seek Silver-level certification from the US Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs LEED programÔÇöover to the community in time for it to outfit it and have it ready for the start of the 2010ÔÇô11 academic year a couple of months later. Inside the main building, which was designed by Dore & Whittier Architects, Inc., which took over after original architect Graham Gund departed, the construction work spans a range of disciplines and styles. The main focus is a massive four-story academic wing that will hold more than 80 classroomsÔÇöincluding 16 specialty classrooms and other spaces such as biotechnology, printing, design and photography labsÔÇöas well as an athletic area that will include an indoor track and multisport court, a natatorium, and studios for dance and gymnastics. The work also includes a 600-seat theater and support spaces. And once work on the new school is completed, an existing school on an adjacent lot will be demolished to make room for a new football stadium, multipurpose athletic fields and an outdoor tennis complex. Most classrooms will benefit from natural lighting, and the main cafeteria space will feature a glazed cool roof and also extensive use of natural daylighting. Other points toward LEED certification include the fact that the school is rising on property that once housed a football stadium, rather than a greenfield site, and the use in toilets of collected rainwater, a move that, along with highly efficient plumbing fixtures, will reduce water use by more than 55 percent. Highly efficient energy systems are also being installed, as are systems meant to ensure the highest possible indoor air quality. DimeoÔÇÖs project management team on site peaked at about 16 people, Wilkins says, and it worked closely with Turner Construction, the ownerÔÇÖs project manager. ÔÇ£It was a totally transparent process that enabled them to provide input and feedback all along the way.ÔÇØ Early on, the team devised a comprehensive phasing and logistics plan that included an emphasis on safety, since the project is rising on a site next to the current active school building. ÔÇ£We were able to isolate the project from not only the school but also the existing and heavily populated neighborhood on the other three sides,ÔÇØ Wilkins notes. Dimeo has extensive experience in overseeing public education construction projects, with a portfolio that includes schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island along with higher education work for clients such as Wesleyan University, Brown University and Providence College. DimeoÔÇÖs other specialty areas include life science and healthcare, corporate, retail and residential. The firm is experienced with a wide range of delivery methods and has extensive green-building experience, all of which has been brought to bear on the Newton project. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre proud of the work weÔÇÖve done with the rest of a very strong team to get this project to completion in a smooth and controlled fashion,ÔÇØ Wilkins says.