Anastasia Barnes

This month is our annual focus on Schools and Institutions. Education projects by nature present the challenge of having to either utilize the short windows when students are not in school, or complete the work in occupied spaces. Many of the projects we are featuring in this issue involved the renovation of existing spaces, completed while classes were in session. Specific planning and coordination efforts and creative design techniques helped teams complete these projects successfully.

One such project was Milestone Construction’ s work on the University of New Haven’ s Peterson Performance Center. The project transformed unfinished third-floor space into a fully functional operations hub for the university’ s Athletics Department. On page 19, read more about the team’ s strategic phasing plan to minimize

disruption for building occupants and deliver the project on time.

In Beyond Food: Strategies for Campus Dining Hall Renovations, Michael Tyre of Amenta Emma Architects says,“ Renovating campus dining halls within occupied buildings demands a fundamentally different approach than new construction.” On page 12, find out how the requirement for the dining hall to remain fully operational informed the team’ s design and execution of the project.

Bryant University Salmanson Dining Hall

In Interstate Electrical Services’“ Ask the Electrician” column on page 20, Edward Gould provides guidance for planning summer maintenance at schools and universities. He says,“ Between the integration of EV charging stations, sophisticated HVAC controls, and high-density classroom technology, you

don’ t want to take a costly‘ wait until it breaks’ approach to maintenance.” Putting together a plan well ahead of time means critical electrical updates can be completed while students are gone for the summer.

Our cover story highlights BW Kennedy & Co. and Annum Architects’ renovation of Graves Hall at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. The 17,000sf project brought the historic building up to current codes while preserving its structural integrity and architectural character. Read more about the restoration of this unique 140-year-old building on page 22.

One inspiring story featured in this issue is by Alya Staber and Silvia Colpani of Jones Architecture, who detail their research initiative, It Takes A Village. They address the challenge many face of“ caregiving while working,” and provide a“ practical, research-backed guide for building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable workplaces.” It’ s so great to see firms like theirs stepping up and

providing the flexibility and resources to support their teams. Read the full piece on page 32.