What will Naperville Central look like after the renovation?
This drawing shows the most recent revision of the NCHS front entrance presented by architects Wight & Co. at the March 16, 2009 Board of Education meeting.
A virtual video tour of the new NCHS exterior and commons can be viewed below. Mac users may need additional free software to view Windows Media Player audio/video; see the Software page for links.
Other resources
The Construction Sequencing and Phasing Plan delineates the overall interior construction timeline from start to finish.
The Interior Phasing Plan indicates how each interior space (as shown on the Sequencing and Phasing Plan) has been designated as an individual identifiable "Area" for ease of referencing spaces throughout the construction process.
As of the week before Spring Break, the north addition has been occupied.
During Spring Break, the old LRC was razed and materials separated for recycling. New footings in this area have been framed out and are ready to be poured.
The old Math rooms in the "Flat Wing" were demolished. In this area, contractors have installed all new below-grade plumbing and electricity, 50% of HVAC ductwork, 60% of masonry walls, 40% of above-grade electrical conduit and 50% of the fire suppression system (sprinklers).
The south addition was completed for use by students and staff on the first day of the 2010-2011 school year. Construction work has been shifted to other portions of the building as per the phasing plan.
In the north addition:
Precast flooring is in place with top coating completed on all three floors.
Steel roof beams are in place.
Electrical and plumbing rough-ins are progressing.
Installation of the fire protection system has begun. Fireproofing of beams is in progress.
Masonry on interior walls is approximately 33% complete and has been started on exterior walls.
Exterior window framing has started.
First floor door frames are in place.
Music area renovation:
Masonry walls are complete; roof, exterior windows and door frames are in place.
A construction strike, effective at midnight on June 30, threatened to delay opening of the new addition in time for the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year; however, a subsequent Project Labor Agreement (PLA) allowed striking workers to return to the job. See the following News stories for details:
Progress since the end of the school year has been extensive. Highlights are:
Demolition of the section of the existing building scheduled for summer 2010 construction is 85% complete. The Student Services wing has been removed. Parking areas included in this section of the renovation have been demolished.
Asbestos abatement in the old math wing is complete; work in the fine arts area has begun.
Tradespeople are hot on the heels of demolition with installation of HVAC, plumbing and electric.
Block walls in the new kitchen are in place and masonry is well underway in the three-story area.
In the south wing, ceiling grid is being hung, floor tile is being installed and painting is underway.
The freezer and refrigerator will arrive the third week of June: science cabinets by the end of the month.
Immediately after students departed on May 28, the last day of school, construction shifted into very high gear in order to complete necessary work over the summer:
NCHS summer staff offices were moved to Lincoln Junior High.
Movers relocated all classroom furnishings into trailers, the Fieldhouse or the main gym by late Saturday, May 29, to allow interior demolition to begin.
The demolition contractor is working two shifts: first and second stories of the east section of the three-story wing have been completely gutted; Student Personnel Services demolition is complete and the outside walls are ready to come down.
Used building materials are being separated for recycling.
Construction of storm water vaults near the District 203 Administrative Center has begun.
Math classroom asbestos abatement will begin June 1.
All steel is complete for the south addition; fireproofing of the steel is 90% complete.
Recent rain has limited roof work; currently the roof is 45% complete.
About 50% of mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in is complete in the south addition.
First and second floor rooms are 45% framed out with stud walls.
Masonry on the weight room and gymnastic area has been completed; brick work has begun on the trainer's area. Block work on the inside of the south addition is approximately 80% complete.
South exterior sheathing and wall panels are starting to go up.
All steel is complete on the south addition; the 110-ton crane will be moved off-site.
Pre-cast concrete flooring is in place. First floor concrete for the café is complete.
HVAC roof curbs are 75% complete; roofing has begun to be installed.
Skylights are 80% complete.
Masons have begun exterior walls for the Training/Weight Room area as well as block work on the first and second floors in the new classroom additions.
The contractor has begun the stud walls on the first floor.
Electricians, NVAC and fireproofing tradespeople continue their work on all floors.
The bus turnaround on Porter has been completed in time for the beginning of school. The Steering Committee and NCHS staff discussed how to streamline the process of bus dropoff and pickup.
Work is moving ahead on concrete foundations.
The new water main is connected; final testing and chlorination will be performed. After acceptance, the old main will be removed.
Utilities are complete under the track and a good part of the curbing is in place. The new track surface is scheduled to be applied during the first two weeks of October. The contractor is preparing to install the synthetic turf surface.
The Steering Committee discussed improvements to the prototypical classrooms, based on feedback from teachers and students. Landscaping was also discussed with Wight.
The design team met with half of the department heads to review office layouts.
Site utilities and underground piping are being installed under the football field.
Foundation pile installation around the three story wing has been completed. These will support the south addition. Earth-moving equipment is swirling around the job site trailer in this area, supporting underground piping and foundation work.
Abatement work continues.
The Steering Committee reviewed the potential exterior design for a raised roof extension over the Music area.
District 203 reviewed procedures from IHC and Wight for tracking cost estimate changes.
The first foundations were poured for the south addition.
Installation for a new water main along Porter was begun.
The Naperville Central High School groundbreaking ceremony, celebrating the school’s major additions and renovation, was held on Wednesday, May 27, beginning at 4:30 PM. District 203 Board members, elected officials, students, staff, community members and representatives from the architectural/ engineering firm Wight & Company and construction manager IHC attended the celebration.
Following voter approval of a February 2008 referendum, District 203 embarked upon several projects to improve its school facilities. The overall renovation program, which totals $114.9 million, addresses the District’s most pressing facilities needs. Wight & Company has provided design services for four different major projects funded by this referendum, including the major renovation of Naperville Central High School.
“As difficult as the next few years will be, while we work construction around our normal school schedule, I am so excited about what the architects have done and about what our community has so graciously supported. I think everyone will be very pleased with the end result,” noted Superintendent Dr. Alan Leis.
The $87.7 million addition and renovation project at Naperville Central High School is the largest and most challenging of the projects. The work includes approximately 170,000 square feet of new construction and 370,000 square feet of renovation.
The completed facilities will include:
New global communication and research learning environments
New athletics and wellness spaces
Conversion of existing science lab spaces into a Fine Arts & Music wing
Conversion of existing cafeteria space into a new Library & Media Center
Enclosure of an existing exterior courtyard, involving the construction of a three-story wing, to form a new student cafeteria and commons space
Extensive site work to adjust parking and circulation, as well as a new athletic field and running track and synthetic turf in the stadium
Extensive upgrade of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and technology infrastructure.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed as a multi-phase project in 2011, during which time the school will remain fully occupied during the school years.
“The challenge at Naperville Central was to recreate an aging and inefficiently configured high school into a modern and innovative learning environment for the future,” said Kevin Havens, Sr. Vice President and Director of Design at Wight & Company. “The solution involved a design that radically reconfigured portions of the existing building and combined them with bold new additions that will accommodate flexible and technology-enriched educational opportunities. The faculty and administration at Central were instrumental in collaborating on the many forward-thinking concepts that will become a reality in this new facility.”
Other items from May:
A letter was mailed to residents in the area of NCHS detailing variances that District 203 sought from the City of Naperville's Plan Commission on May 20. Signs were posted to notify the public of this hearing.
Meetings were planned regarding closed-circuit cameras, door access control and intercom/public address systems.
Plans for the electronics lab and faculty dining room were reviewed.
The moving bid was approved by the Board of Education.
The Steering Committee was given an overview of the mechanical and plumbing systems for the project.
A new fiber route between Naperville Central and the District Administrative Center was completed.
The design team met with teachers who had used the prototypical classrooms during the spring. Discussion also included a review of student feedback as well as details regarding furniture, finishes, acoustics and electrical power requirements.
During Spring Break, the following work was successfully completed: a new transformer was brought online and another was relocated; underground oil storage tanks were removed, necessitating main data cabling disconnect/reconnect with use of backup wireless connection; conduit and flexible ductwork pathway was installed for a new data cabling route; asbestos was removed in the gym and additional furniture was delivered for the prototypical classrooms.
Entry stairs at the south addition were redesigned to locate the ramp in a covered location.
The Steering Committee discussed the staging plan for the South Addition, revisions to the Culinary Arts area and planned for another round of design verification meetings involving mechanical, technology and detailed building systems.
IHC and Wight met to refine the Design Development budget. Wight and District staff discussed the City of Naperville's review process.
At a follow-up meeting with City staff, plat consolidation and zoning variances were reviewed.
The design team met with Student Personnel Services, the Culinary Arts program, Student Activities and the Art department. They also met with vendors to investigate the intercom/public address system, with the potential for an innovative solution combining computer technology and conventional systems.
Wight presented exterior materials to the Board of Education.
NCHS Technology staff members demonstrated the prototypical classrooms, illustrating how the new features will be used to enhance instruction. Representatives from Wight explained the classroom design and demonstrated use of new classroom furniture.
Construction work began the first day of Spring Break, including asbestos abatement and construction involving power shutdown in a major portion of the building.
Furniture options were presented for the prototypical classrooms, including chairs, desks, storage and a teacher’s station. Manufacturers will provide samples free of charge for testing in the classrooms.
District 203 and Wight met with Naper Settlement and the City of Naperville to discuss storm water issues and construction coordination.
Wight reported that design is proceeding on schedule.
Groundbreaking for the NCHS major renovation and additions is scheduled for May 27, 2009 at 4 PM.
The design team met with Administration, Student Personnel Services, Physical Education, Athletics, Visual Arts, Culinary Arts, the Black Box Theater, Communication Arts, Food Service, Music, Science, LRC and Writing Center staff to review classroom, office, resource and lab spaces.
Four prototypical classrooms were constructed over President’s Day weekend, with existing technology reinstalled and new audio-visual systems added. Marker board paint was applied to two walls with tackable wall surface on a third.
Board Advisory Committee members reviewed preliminary options for exterior materials.
The design team met with Science, Math, World Languages, Social Science, Special Education and Career/Technical Education staff.
Parameters for the prototypical classrooms were discussed by the Steering Committee in order to simplify design materials and expedite construction. District and NCHS Technology staff met to review technology options that will be piloted in these classrooms.
Furniture vendors for the prototypical classrooms have been identified.
The design team met with NCHS department heads and administration to discuss the “”Imagining the 21st Century Classroom” seminar. Naperville North representatives also attended. The group reviewed proposed classroom layouts and reached concensus on display technology, breakout areas and general furniture and storage requirements. These items will be incorporated into four prototypical classrooms that will be constructed in the existing building. Feedback will be sought from teachers and students this spring and incorporated into the final design.
Moving of the seven temporary classrooms from the courtyard to the Aurora Avenue location was completed on time, including utility work, technology installation and testing and furniture placement. The entire process was completed during Winter Break to avoid impacting students.
The process of moving the seven temporary classrooms was begun during Winter Break.
Pipes were trenched and installed to connect to the new City of Naperville transformer.
District 203, NCHS and NNHS staff participated in an all-day seminar titled “Imagining the 21st Century Classroom” to hear presentations illustrating how seating, storage, desk, computers and display technology may change to accommodate changes in instruction. Afterward, key points regarding project breakout areas, multiple walls for writing and display, moveable storage, infrastructure for multiple simultaneous technologies and the importance of seating flexibility were identified by participants. Feedback from this seminar was used in classroom layout design.
The NCHS Science staff reviewed proposed layouts for science classrooms, incorporating information from science lab site visits. Key points emphasized were flexibility in lab layout, combining of lab and instructional spaces, adequate storage, a moveable demonstration table, flexible power locations and infrastructure allowing multiple simultaneous technologies to be used.
With flexibility in space usage having emerged as a design requirement, Wight commented that the cost of features to implement this flexibility could be balanced by eliminating much of the built-in casework of a traditional classroom design, which will also maximize usable space for students. Wight and District staff will determine how these concepts will fit within the Furniture, Fixture and Equipment (FFE) budget.
Design for the plazas near main building entrances were presented to the Steering Committee and received positive feedback. The Committee reviewed layouts and location for student and athletic/physical education lockers.
District staff and Wight met with the Naperville Electrical Utility to discuss power requirements, including establishing a schedule for the City to cut over to a new transformer in March, 2009.
Wight and District staff toured science labs at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and Harper College.
The Steering Committee reviewed design options for food service areas.
A schedule was presented for asbestos abatement to take place during the summers of 2009 and 2010. This split schedule allows for construction work to continue in other parts of the building during the abatement.
Wight and District staff conducted tours of high school food service areas.
Meetings were scheduled with NCHS department members to discuss classroom design and technology.
District staff met to plan for Summer School, resulting in the decision to conduct classes during the summer of 2009 at Kennedy Junior High School. This will allow freer access to NCHS for asbestos and construction and to NNHS for site and pool work.
The design team investigated NCHS plumbing piping.
NCHS Science staff, District staff and Wight toured local high schools to review science labs, noting room, furniture, equipment and technology layouts.
The Steering Committee reviewed typical classroom layouts to ensure that classrooms will have flexibility to meet 21st Century learning methods such as the inquiry-based model District 203 employs.
NCHS staff toured two high school food service facilities.
The first public informational meeting regarding the need for athletic field space was conducted by District 203 and Naperville Park District staff.
The design team met with Board of Education members in small groups to review the NCHS phasing plan, current budget, design schedule and value engineering options.
Wight and the District met with the City of Naperville to review east parking lot exits. Design of this lot will be refined based on the decision of the City’s engineers.
Wight received proposals for firms to perform the third-party plan review. This plan review procedure is a new requirement of the State of Illinois.
At the Board of Education's October 20, 2008 meeting, architects from Wight & Company's design team sought approval for the Schematic Design book for Naperville Central High School.
Representatives from Wight and District 203 met with the NCHS-area homeowners to report on the meeting with the City of Naperville engineers.
Wight and the District attended the City’s Plan Commission Meeting, to be available for feedback during the Naper Settlement’s application for a Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.). The Plan Commission did not have any questions for the attendees.
Wight will begin the Design Development phase of the NCHS project.
Building the Future
May 2009