Situation

The Championship Academy School building had been completely rebuilt on the interior back in 2014, but the façade and surroundings had only received a mild upgrade year prior. With the major improvements and new home development in the surrounding area, the exterior façade of the school needed to be brought up to date with a clean and contemporary look.

We were given a $500,000 budget and a 90-day time to design, permit and construct the project within the following parameters:

• Remove and replace the old concrete tile mansard roof
• Remove the 1960s era River Rock stone cladding
• Modernize the covered porte-cochere and lift it to give it more prominence
• Completely remodel the back courtyard and patio deck to incorporate a new outdoor dining deck and a safer and more secure playground
• Repair various structural issues that had arisen over the previous 8 years

Strategy

We adopted a design-build approach for this project, as well as permitted the different project scope portions, allowing us to start on the roofing work and back courtyard well ahead of the structural work. To modernize the façade, we opted for a standing seam metal roof replacement for the mansard and the removal of the stone. We worked with the original architects of the school to come up with a modern and playful color scheme, as well as a way to take the current drop-off and create a larger, more appealing porte-cochere by extending the parapet wall higher and widening the existing columns. We coupled the work with new landscape features and a resurfaced entrance walkway. The back courtyard was leveled, then a recycled rubber safe deck was added at the playground, new playground equipment was placed, and shade sails were added for comfort. Sidewalks were added to the south side of the building to create a future middle school drop-off zone. The entire building was seal coated, caulked, and painted a fresh shade of white.

Results

The entire project was completed on time and on budget. We maximized the budget to make many improvements to the building extending beyond the façade and courtyard, including new exterior LED lighting and landscaping.