EXCEL Academy Charter High School
OVERVIEW
The EXCEL Academy Charter High School project in East Boston, MA consisted of the new construction of a 55,000 SF facility. The main two-story building is steel-framed with fiber cement veneer. The attached gymnasium is a pre-engineered steel structure with metal panel siding and a metal roof. Durable, cost-effective, low maintenance and practical finishes were used throughout, including, for example, linoleum sheet flooring throughout all classrooms and corridors.
HIGHLIGHTS
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The school’s location is on a former dumping ground, so the soil needed to be screened and tested; all soil remained on site
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A very aggressive completion schedule
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Work was conducted amidst a very dense, urban neighborhood with a library on one side of the site and a park on the other side
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Confined, urban work site with limited laydown areas and close proximity to abutters
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The site is located near a major airport with low-flying aircraft overhead
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The pre-engineered metal building for the gymnasium encountered significant lead time challenges and performance issues with the supplier
Project Information
Location: East Boston
Completion: 2016
Contract Value: $16.4 million
Size: 55,000 SF
Type: New Construction
Owner: EXCEL Academy
Designer: Studio G Architects, Boston, MA
Delivery Method: CM-at-Risk (M.G.L. Chapter 149A)
CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
The project faced a tight schedule, with primary construction commencing in May 2015, and the project completion deadline 13 months later by June 2016. The construction commencement schedule was constrained by the fact that the owner was unable to proceed to GMP stage until the land acquisition was finalized and financing closed.
W.T. Rich was able to mitigate this by selectively awarding subcontractors to proceed with submittals so that that the project could hit the ground running once the GMP was executed in late April of 2015. W.T. Rich Company worked in partnership with EXCEL Charter School, Skanska (owner’s project manager), Studio G Architects, and their consultants to work harmoniously and collaboratively to find pragmatic solutions to the challenges we faced.
RESULTS
W.T. Rich was able to achieve substantial completion and certificate of occupancy on schedule by June 2016. In addition, as a result of strong buyout savings and cost-effective use of owner allowances, W.T. Rich was able to complete the project with a net credit change order balance, meaning the final contract sum will be less than the original GMP amount. The project team is thrilled with the new school in terms of cost, quality, and schedule, and also appreciated the smooth, seamless manner in which the project was executed from start to finish.
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