BBS celebrates completion of $10.5 million school expansion, renovations; T.G. Nickel & Associates is CM

The Garden City Union Free School District and Board of Education, political and community leaders, and representatives from BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers and construction manager T.G. Nickel & Associates celebrated the completion of the $10.5 million expansion and renovations of the Garden City High School. A ribbon cutting and time capsule ceremony included performances by the school's chamber choir, chamber strings, and orchestra in the three classrooms designed specifically for the size and acoustical needs of these groups. The celebrations also included sealing and burying of a time capsule containing artifacts selected by students-a yearbook, a school jersey, recent programs from concerts and theatre productions, and examples of "outdated" energy uses, such as incandescent light bulbs. New York state senator Kemp Hannon, New York state regent Roger Tilles, town of Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray, New York state assemblyman Tom McKevitt, Garden City mayor Donald Brudie, board of education members, and BBS president and lead architect Roger Smith, AIA, LEED AP, attended the ceremonies led by superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen. "We've created an outstanding space for our growing and award-winning music program," said superintendent Feirsen. "In addition to spaces specifically designed for the needs of our various performance groups, the spaces include recording capabilities so teachers and students can immediately listen to their performance and identify areas for improvement. This capability also provides our students with the ability to send samples of vocal and instrumental performances to colleges during the application process. "The addition dramatically improves the exterior aesthetics of the high school, creating a focus on the existing 1950s-style façade. The redesign of the building interior provides our students with 21st-century spaces, accommodating large and small groups, and creates a safer school environment." "I'm pleased to help celebrate the completion of the expansion and renovation of the high school," said senator Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City). "As the parent of twin daughters who are alumnae of GCHS, I know firsthand of the excellence of the Garden City schools, and these improvements will only serve to enhance the experience of all who attend. Not only will these improvements provide a richer learning and cultural environment, they be economically and environmentally beneficial as well." According to Smith, "The expansion and renovation has significantly improved the quality of the music and general education facilities within the Garden City High School. The renovated interiors feature a convenient and efficient layout, which improved circulation within the school. BBS incorporated a high number of environmentally responsible design solutions into the new building and interiors, including low-VOC materials and paints, high-efficiency HVAC equipment, and recycled flooring materials." This project, along with other recent renovations throughout the district, was financed through a $36.5-million construction bond issue approved by local voters in a referendum held in October 2009. It was one of a very few school construction bond issues approved by voters during the recession, both on Long Island and in the state. Due to increased competition among suppliers and construction firms, the district has saved approximately $2.6 million on projects completed to date. These savings allowed the district to perform additional renovations at its educational facilities. BBS served as the architect, interior designer, civil engineer and MEP engineer. BBS also assisted the district with the physical facility needs assessment and development of information and presentation materials for the voters prior to the referendum. The team also included construction manager TG Nickel & Associates, and structural engineer Ysrael Seinuk, P.C. "The project called for construction of a new 10,350 s/f music wing, site and roadways improvements, replacement of the roof on the entire school building, construction of new bleachers at the athletic field, and 20,000 s/f of interior renovations and re-programming to the pre-existing building," said BBS project manager Gary Schiede. The new, one-story addition houses a 2,500-sq.-ft. band room, a 2,000-sq.-ft. chorus room, a 2,000-sq.-ft. orchestra room, a 350-sq.-ft. practice room, a music teachers' office, a hallway, and utility closets. The music wing features a slab-on-grade foundation, a structural steel frame, masonry and brick walls, a glass and aluminum curtain-wall, decorative ALUCOBOND composite aluminum panels, and an SBS-modified bitumen roofing system. The new music rooms provide dedicated, well-equipped and large rehearsal spaces for each music program. Prior to the expansion, the band and other music program students shared the school's stage for practices, which limited the rehearsal time and use of the auditorium for other activities. The new spaces feature Kinetics Noise Control fabric-wrapped acoustic ceiling panels, which were custom designed for each room to provide the appropriate sound quality and range for each discipline. The rooms are also equipped with sound and recording systems. Interior finishes and fixtures include CMU walls, linoleum flooring, and suspended, direct and indirect fluorescent linear light strips. The rooms are individually air-conditioned with rooftop units. According to Schiede, "The most significant challenge during the expansion was the location of the new music wing. The site's layout was constrained by surrounding buildings and provided a limited access during construction. The project team devised logistical solutions to address these challenges, including detailed staging of construction activities and advanced planning of materials delivery and storage." The music wing is adjacent to the original school building at the location of the old music rooms, which were converted into general classrooms. The interior renovations included reorganization of the entire school's layout. BBS consolidated the faculty and service staff's offices and the departments within the school, which increased space efficiency and convenience for the students. The new interiors feature centralized math, world language, English, social studies, athletics and special education department areas. The Guidance Suite underwent a complete reconstruction, which centralized all services in a single location and provided additional space for a College & Careers center. The renovation improved the small group instruction areas for special education programs, including speech, reading, testing and general instruction classrooms. Offices for the nurse, psychologist and social worker were also renovated. The site work focused on increasing student safety in the drop-off and pick-up areas as well as on improving the parking facilities. BBS redesigned the vehicular circulation within the campus to create a new bus loop separated from the parent drop-off/pick-up loop. This solution alleviated the inconvenience and potential danger of overlapping bus and private car traffic. Expanded surface parking accommodates 35 cars. The Garden City Union Free School District is located in the Village of Garden City, NY within the Town of Hempstead, NY. With the 2012 enrollment of 4,048 students, it encompasses seven schools - three Kindergarten and 1st grade, two elementary with grades 2-5, a middle school, and a high school. Headquartered in Patchogue, NY and established in 1975, BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers is a leading Long Island and NY/NJ/CT Tri-state area designer of sustainable educational, commercial, institutional, public and athletic facilities. The firm designed the first LEED-certified public school in New York State, the Hampton Bays Middle School in Hampton Bays, NY, which received a LEED Silver certification as well as the 2012 Green Ribbon School designation from the White House and the U.S. Department of Education. Over the last decade, BBS has designed educational facilities valued at $1.6 billion. The firm's services include architecture, interior design and landscape architecture as well as civil, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. BBS' current and recent work includes the new 60,000-square-foot Life Sciences Building at the Suffolk County Community College Ammerman Campus in Selden, NY, which is targeting LEED Gold certification; the 100-room Hyatt Place East End hotel in Riverhead, NY; Long Island University's $1.6-million Mullarkey Hall renovation in Brookville, NY; the new, three-story, 25,500-square-foot addition at the Southampton Elementary School in Southampton, NY; the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery Administrative Building in Coram, NY; the 24,000-square-foot Brown's Fiat dealership in Medford, NY; and the new Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in North Merrick, NY. Shown (from left) are: NYS regent Roger Tilles, NYS senator Kemp Hannon, assembly member Edward Ra, superintendent of schools Dr. Robert Feirsen, mayor Donald Brudie, town of Hempstead councilman Edward Ambrosino, public schools board of education trustee Angela Heineman, high school principal Nanine McLaughlin, district coordinator of music and the arts Dr. Nina Prasso, town of Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray, BBS president and lead architect Roger Smith, AIA.