Proj Overview

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Adams Central Public Schools officials wished to consolidate several small schools into one, resulting in a new elementary school that would serve all the district’s students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Read more about this project in the Summer 2023 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

The site in Hastings, Neb., raised concerns about a general contractor’s ability to draw from the limited number of subcontractors to construct the exterior walls. That was one reason why loadbearing precast concrete was chosen as the primary structural system early in the design process. It also compressed the construction time frame needed to complete the exterior walls and eliminated the need for any temporary weather protection.

 

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Project Team

Architect/Structural Engineer

DLR Group

Owner

Adams Central Public Schools

Contractor

Hampton Commercial Construction

Precast Concrete Producer and Erector

Enterprise Precast Concrete

Precast Concrete Specialty Engineer

Enterprise Precast Concrete

Key Project Attributes

  • The exterior design of the building was inspired by the Jefferson Grid, Thomas Jefferson’s system for division of the western United States that created a latticework of farms, towns, and forests.
  • The school was constructed with an energy-efficient precast concrete wall system that eliminated the need for masons and other trades.
  • The precast concrete producer and design team wanted to use not only brick but also different brick patterns and exposed precast concrete.
 

Project/Precast Scope

  • The new 83,000-square-foot elementary school serves all the district’s students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
  • The project included 241 pieces of insulated sandwich panel totaling 43,500 square feet. The typical panel width varied, but generally panels were 12 feet wide and ranged in height from 13 to 34 feet.
  • The wall panels used for the school create an envelope with an R-value of 21, which is well above what the energy code requires.