Building Value: Plan ahead to mitigate school-day disruptions

1 year ago

Building Value

Educational leaders should be sure their project team is taking these factors into consideration when planning construction in, around functioning schools.

When preparing for a project that will take place in or around a functioning school, it is important to develop plans that produce the least impact on the learning environment. Key factors for educational leaders to ensure their project team takes into consideration include:

Traffic Management

Determine before construction begins how construction traffic, including personnel, will come and go from the site. This can help eliminate congestion and potential unsafe interactions between regular school traffic — including pedestrians, personal vehicles and buses — and construction vehicles or equipment.

Safety and Environmental Controls

Noise, dust and odors can be disruptive to the school day, especially in areas where walls are penetrated to accommodate construction activities. Well-constructed partitions will help to keep these environmental factors from entering the school, while also maintaining building and construction site security, and serving as barriers to adverse weather conditions and pests. Plans for maintaining building egress will help ensure safe routes out of the building in the event of fire or other disaster during construction.

Order of the Work

To minimize disruptions, both inside and out, schedule activities for times when students and staff are away from the building, such as summers, breaks, weekends or evenings; and/or sequence construction to isolate work in smaller areas that can be closed until completion before moving on to the next area.

Communication

In cooperation with district and building administration, keep teachers, other staff and the school board abreast of scheduled activities — both generally and specifically with faculty/staff who will be directly affected by upcoming work. Doing so helps to manage expectations, which in turn helps to reduce complaints and answer questions.

•••

In Building Value, Carl A. Nelson & Company’s team of construction experts will address topics aimed at helping educational facility owners to get the most out of their projects before, during and after construction. Have questions? Submit it by email to canco@carlanelsonco.com for a prompt reply and possible use as a topic in an upcoming installment.