Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School
Bethlehem, Pa.
Merit Award
Sent by: Alvin H. Butz Inc.
Owner: Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School
Main design company: Alloy Architecture5
General contractor: Alvin H. Butz
Civil Engineer: Terraform Engineering LLC
Structural Engineer: Barry Isett & Associates
MEP Engineer: Snyder Hoffman Associates Inc.
Finished on time and under budget just after the school’s lease expired at its previous location and just in time for the start of the school year, the 16-month project produced what the team says it is an early educational facility of its kind. While housing students from kindergarten through 12th grade under one roof is a new concept, the building itself is an adaptive reuse of a former corporate headquarters of more than 200,000 square meters.
To meet the tight $45 million project deadline, the team tendered the main building in three phases. Using this technique, the team was able to mobilize five days after the school purchased the building, giving the design team more design time. Refurbishing several existing mechanical units instead of purchasing and installing new ones also helped the team save time.
Photo courtesy of Alvin H. Butz Inc.
Primary and secondary school students are sectioned by building level, allowing adequate separation. Students can move freely within their own grade level but cannot move to higher or lower levels. Age-appropriate finishes further define the spaces. Collaborative spaces include “guers,” open areas along classroom corridors that serve flexible purposes such as group work and faculty collaboration. A gym was built in an old parking lot.
