PROJECT OVERVIEW

Grand Island Public Schools include over 20 campuses in central Nebraska. The Grand Island community voted in 2014 to approve a $70 million bond issue involving seven projects, three of which were new elementary schools. Starr Elementary was scheduled to welcome students in September 2017.

Read more about this project in the Fall 2019 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

There was a 1% premium for the cost of precast concrete, but it was money well spent because the project was completed on time, and as with all school construction projects, falling behind schedule wasn’t an option. The school district, comfortable with traditional masonry construction, was initially leery of using precast concrete, which they perceived as having an institutional appearance. However, they had a strong desire for their new schools to have their own individual identity. With Starr Elementary as its litmus test, the school district selected precast concrete for two remaining projects

Designer

CMBA Architects

Engineer

CMBA Architects

Contractor

Lacy Construction

Owner

Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island, Neb.

Precast Concrete Producer

Enterprise Precast Concrete

Photo Credit

Paul Brokering Photography, Enterprise Precast Concrete, Jacia Phillips

Key Project Attributes

• One percent premium for cost of precast concrete was money well spent, as project was completed on time.
• Including a storm shelter was another benefit of using precast concrete.
• Ease of construction, ability to work through winter and quality of end-product tipped the scales for precast concrete.

Project/Precast Scope

• 176 insulated wall panels with random reveal patterns
• 55 brick-clad panels
• 87 gym/common walls panels
• 7600 sq. ft. hollow core slab