Story

The new South Lake Elementary School is an important cornerstone of the Gaithersburg community, and Dustin was honored to be the Construction Manager for this vital replacement project. The original South Lake Elementary School building was constructed in 1971 and underwent upgrades in 2005 to the gymnasium and classroom spaces. The aging building was overcrowded with failing mechanical systems, lack of parking, rodent infestations, and poor structural conditions. In August 2023, Dustin proudly opened the doors to the new 113,549 SF South Lake Elementary School for students and staff on its 50th anniversary. The new three-story elementary school building was designed and planned for a capacity enrollment of 796 students with the goal of providing a nurturing, healthy learning environment. The building welcomes students through an expansive entrance and lobby which is adjacent to the administration suite. The school is organized around a central exterior courtyard that allows natural light to filter to interior spaces. The wide hallways ease the circulation of students to 24 standard classrooms and support spaces on three levels for pre-K-5th grade, Head Start, fine arts, dual purpose, offices, storage areas, and METS (Multidisciplinary Education, Training and Support). The health and wellness suite accommodates both the Linkages for Learning Program as well as access to medical and psychological services for the students. The new media center provides a learning space for interactive educational opportunities, and the cafeteria and all-purpose room incorporate sound-proof ceiling features to prevent noise from carrying to the learning environment. Classrooms have interactive technology components with controlled, wireless access throughout the building for computer mobility. With a Green Globes Certification for sustainable design, the building provides a high level of control for individual lighting and thermal comfort settings. Site work included improvements to vehicular circulation for buses and student drop-off, and parking was enhanced for staff, visitors, and service vehicles. Bike racks were installed for both students and staff to utilize. The overall site design allowed for grading with safe access to ground floor and outdoor areas. Outdoor play features for recess and physical education include a blacktop sports court, playing field, and climbing structures. Project Manager Amy Gorman, Superintendents Thomas McCarthy and Tony Aliquo, and their project management team led the successful preconstruction and construction efforts. The construction of the interior courtyard was the most challenging aspect of this project. The steep grade created a level of difficulty with access and soil erosion control measures. The team had to leave a large opening in the main corridor to give contractors access for getting equipment and materials in and out. Due to the steep slope, the team worked bottom up, building three imbricating rip rap walls consisting of compacted gravel base, filter fabric, and stacked fieldstone. While each wall was built by the retaining wall contractor, the site contractor worked alongside to properly backfill each wall. Coordination and communication were critical to the success of the installation of these walls.