Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy: A Case Study for Moving Forward During COVID
October 16th, 2020
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Pictured above: The former Ponus Ridge Middle School in Norwalk, Connecticut recently went through a major transformation, turning it into what will become a PreK-8 intra-district magnet school called the Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy.
The renovation/addition of the former Ponus Ridge Middle School in Norwalk, Connecticut is quite remarkable. The project itself is impressive from a design and construction standpoint, transforming a school serving grades 6 through 8 into a state-of-the-art facility that will ultimately become a PreK-8 intra-district magnet school. However, what really makes this project stand out is the conditions and timing under which it was completed.
The school remained open when construction began on the new 40,000 sf addition in February 2019, with the goal of completing the addition before the end of the year, so that it could be utilized as swing space for middle school students during the subsequent renovation of the existing 146,548 sf school.
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Pictured above: The main entrance to the new Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, a renovate-as-new project (106,549 sf) and a 40,000 sf addition, will serve students in PreK through 8th grade.
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Pictured above: A full-enclosed courtyard provides a peaceful outdoor space for students and staff on the PONUS Ridge STEAM Academy grounds.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak, which hit Fairfield County particularly hard, led to the closure of all public schools in Connecticut. This unforeseen turn of events in fact helped expedite the renovation, as the existing facility remained vacant for the remainder of the school year and summer. Despite absorbing pandemic-related labor shortages and programmatic changes halfway through the course of construction that warranted the creation of more classrooms, the schedule was maintained, with work completed at the end of August 2020 to allow for a return to school September 8, 2020 on a hybrid model.
Formerly serving the middle school students during the renovation at Ponus Ridge, the addition is now housing Jefferson Elementary School students for the next two years as CSG actively manages the design and construction of this $33 million renovate-as-new project. Once the Jefferson students return to their renovated neighborhood school, the Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy will be ready to operate in its new capacity serving students from preschool through middle school.
Architectural design services for Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy were provided by Perkins Eastman. Architectural design services for Jefferson Elementary School are being provided by Antinozzi Associates. Newfield Construction is the construction manager for both schools. This work is being undertaken through CSG’s program management contract with the City of Norwalk’s School and Municipal Building Construction division.
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Posted in the categories Announcements, Projects.
