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Once the main structure of the building was completed, in February, 2001, the concrete block "skin" of the building was put up, so as to enclose the building as soon as possible so all of the varied jobs to complete the mechanical systems could go forward. This bare grey block would be the face the school put forward to onlookers for the next 4 months.
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The Gym was looking a bit more finished off, and is still in use as a staging area. The constant traffic in and out has tracked in dirt and mud to an extent that it looks as though the concrete floor never got poured at all! The daylight showing above the stage indicates that the classroom wings and other areas above still do not have their walls completed.
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Below the Library, the mechanical rooms of the school are looking ever more complicated as ductwork, plumbing, and wiring are installed. All of these systems must be in place and complete before sheetrockers can enclose rooms and other interior walls.
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Even with only metal wall studs in place, we can begin to discern the layout of the classrooms and other spaces in the building. Here, one of the open beamed classrooms is featured, looking through to another classroom, and beyond, the rooms off the circular corridor and another wing in the background.
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Each classroom wing will have a corridor such as this, with first 2 small office rooms, then 4 classrooms, and finally, opening off a "T" at the end of the corridor, a double classroom with a movable partition wall. Again, even with only bare studs, the shape of the space can be clearly made out.
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One of the most dramatic parts of the design is the main circular corridor, which shares the open wooden trusswork with the rooms to the front of the corridor. This photo is taken somewhere in the area of the main office, which accounts for the maze of metal studs to the left. The classroom wings would open off to the right.
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Here, in this view taken from one of the rooms to the outside of the circular corridor, the exterior shape of the classrooms can be seen. Each of the open-beamed classrooms will have an exterior door, and all classrooms will have one entire wall of windows.
2-01 |
Things are looking up, at least in this photo of the insulation panels being installed atop the wooden roof trusses. Over this, a vapor barrier will be placed, then the copper roof panels. Although an expensive roofing material, copper is considerably easier for a contractor to work with on site, enough so that our contractor installed our copper roof for the price of the preformed metal roof originally called for.
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April showers bring...an awful lot of mud and water to a construction site! The rainy spring weather is in clear evidence in these next few shots, all taken during that rainy month. In this photo, the exterior of the north side of the third grade wing is seen. Compare this to several later shots taken from roughly the same vantage point, and the sequence of exterior work can be seen--from bare grey walls, to brick and window frames, to grass growing.
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In the circular corridor at the end of each classroom wing are skylights over round areas slightly larger than the corridor as a whole. The framing for one of these skylights can be seen in this shot from the cafeteria area, although the actual hole will not be cut until several months later.
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This classroom wing corridor is cluttered now with the tools of construction, rather than the tools of learning which will take their places. From this vantage point, with the building barely closed in (many places with just plastic sheeting still), it is hard indeed to believe students will be in these spaces half a year from now.
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The Library is hardly ready for schoolwork either, but through the windows, an idea of the magnificent view this area will enjoy can be seen. The woods to the left of the view from the window are those that lie between the school and Columbus Ave. below, and the small white building to the right is the District Office.
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If the Gym were to stay in this condition, perhaps they would want to think about adding Jungle Exploration or Mud Bog Kayaking to the Physical Education program! With one whole section of the side wall of the Gym (one-third of it) still not there to allow for trucks to enter and exit, the rain and the mud are the worst here.
4-01 |
By the end of May, not much has changed from the outside of the building--the same bare concrete walls that were going up in the first photo on this page are still there, leading some people (who can only see this view of the building because of the fencing) to wonder what is happening! Because most of the work at this point is interior at this point, not much CAN be seen from outside.
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But, as this photo shows, if anyone had been able to walk around back, much has changed! Comparing this to the earlier view of this part of the building (the north side of the third grade wing), the brickwork, window frames, and roofing shows how much has been happening.
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The dramatic curve of the main part of the building can be clearly seen in this photo of the computer and art rooms and main and nurse's offices from the outside. At this point, the building is complete enough that some visitors begin having a chance of a tour, often conducted by enthusiastic Superintendent Dr. Tom Kelly. The May photos shown here were taken on such a tour by 5th grade teacher Mrs. Trehy.
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The classrooms spaces are beginning to take on a more finished appearance, some more than others. While at this point some of the 3rd grade wing classrooms have finished sheetrock and windows, this double classroom still wears its plastic sheeting. The contractors were working their way "around the circle" finishing off rooms in the 3rd grade wing, then the 4th, then the 5th, and the BOCES/Gym wing last.
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The main entrance has different framing from the rest of the front of the building, which still has not arrived at this point, so that area is still open to the sky. The main office is to the left of this picture, and the cafeteria is to the right.
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One can fairly easily date the photos of the Gym and stage areas from the building supplies stacked there--in this photo of the stage, box after box of sheetrock is ready to be used in the rooms above as the contractors work their way around closing in walls. At the top of the photo, above and behind the stage, can be seen the BOCES wing corridor through the metal stud wall.
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That open hole in the floor in earlier photos has now acquired its staircase, almost lost amidst the metal studs of the walls that will enclose it. It is a triple flight of stairs, testament to the great height of the Gym. Because of the Gym's placement at the bottom of the natural slope of the site, the entire building shares a common roof height, reducing the apparent bulk of this large space.
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As the 2000-2001 school year draws to a close, the final pieces that are the basic structure and fabric of the building are coming into place. Here, the round spaces at the end of each classroom corridor and walled in. These will eventually be painted and tiled in colors to match the color scheme of their corresponding classroom wing.
6-01 |
A backhoe's digging arm is an appropriate frame for this view across the eventual sports field to the Library (on the left) and the Gym (beyond it to the right). This will be the last time the exterior of this part of the building will be the grey concrete block it has worn since February--soon, this section too will be faced in brick, and the last section of the Gym wall will be erected.
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The cafeteria has yet to acquire its window frames in this photo, but the openings for what look to be windows are seen in this photo. They are actually for 2 display cases that will be in the foyer; many others are scattered throughout the building, both along the circular corridor and in the classroom wings.
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This photo of the circular corridor is taken from almost the exact same spot as the earlier shot back in February nearer the top of this page. Although not complete by any means, the spaces are far more defined, and a greater sense of the "feel" of the corridor can be gained now that could be earlier.
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A different view of the Gym, looking down from above. It is a double size gym, with a movable divider wall down the middle. It is intended that it be an extension of the Middle/High School facilities during after school hours, and as such can be "shut off" from the remainder of the building.
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The front entrance will have this dramatic portico over it. It will look out onto a circular paved driveway with a grass circle in its center with a flagpole, very similar to Virginia Road School's front entrance area. The flagpole here at Kensico marks the exact center of the arcs and lines that define the circular corridor, the centers of the classroom wings, etc.
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The same view as the last, only from the inside. Now that the framing for this part of the building is in, the shape of the school is truly complete. Now, what remains is the finishing off of every space in the building, and in the grounds outside.
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