Cushing Academy Sawyer-Hopkins Student Dormitory and Wellness Center
Ashburnham, Mass.
Merit Award
Sent by: Timberline Construction Corp.
Owner: Goodrich LLC
Main design: Dimella Shaffer Associates Inc.
General contractor: Timberline construction
Civil Engineer: Haley Ward
Structural Engineer and MEP: Rist-Frost-Shumway (RFS) engineering.
Geotechnical engineer: McPhail Associates LLC
Electric: Reilly Electrical Contractors
The college preparatory school expansion includes a wellness center and dormitory, faculty apartments and community services. Predominantly timber-framed building with selective use of structural steel and non-combustible elements to enhance safety and support features a durable seam metal roof and brick facade that complements the school’s aesthetic .
Curtain wall systems at the central entrance and in each wing ensure plenty of natural light. The project includes parking lots, sidewalks, emergency access roads, site lighting, benches and landscaping. The installation of fiber optic cabling across the campus, required to maintain connectivity for the fire alarm system and VOIP services, involved verifying existing undocumented cabling.
The team conducted a two-week audit to identify all fiber cables from the administration building to the splice location and reconnected each fiber without disrupting services. The final cut of the new fiber system was executed over a period of two weeks, with a transition of one building per day to minimize downtime and ensure that occupied buildings remained protected. The project was completed in 19 months on budget and on schedule.
