SPRINGFIELD, N.J.—New Brunswick, N.J.-based design firm DIGroupArchitecture is undertaking $32.9 million worth of renovations for the Garden State community of Springfield’s public school district. Funding, which was allocated by a recent bond referendum, will go towards upgrading several schools throughout the township.

According to information released by the design firm, the $33 million will be applied to various infrastructure upgrades, renovations and security updates. These include renovating certain classrooms, music rooms and art rooms. Energy-efficient windows are to be installed to lessen potential waste of resources. Furthermore, DIGroupArchitecture’s plans entail upgrades to the schools’ HVAC and sewer systems, as well as installing new bathroom fixtures. Security upgrades will include updating the current video-monitoring system.

The breadth of the improvements around Springfield are now under design review. While no general contractor has yet been chosen for the work, officials at DIGroupArchitecture, the architect of record, estimate that the entirety of the work will be finished sometime in 2026.

Currently, DIG Associate Kelli Glasgow, AIA, is collaborating with Springfield Schools Superintendent Dr. Rachel Goldberg to iron out some of the details of the project, particularly concerning what specifically can be funded with the money raised already by the township. Glasgow’s prior experience entails several education-related projects for DIG.

“We are honored to be working alongside the district to ensure that the school updates support the success, wellness and safety needs of today’s students, as well as students, teachers, staff and guests who will enter the doors, engage and learn in the classrooms, walk the halls and gather across the common spaces well into the future,” Glasgow said.

In a subsequent statement to School Construction News, Glasgow shared that ongoing equipment delivery issues across the entire construction industry will likely be an issue for the work at the Springfield schools as well.

“The most challenging part of the assignment, which will make great strides to improve the overall educational experience for students and staff, will be the scheduling and coordination of the HVAC upgrades, which account for the largest portion of the project,” said Glasgow.

Though based in New Jersey, DIGroupArchitecture also has offices across the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Their work touches upon many sectors, including healthcare, senior living and education buildings. Among their other school construction work in the Garden State are at Phillipsburg High School, Memorial Elementary School, the Jonathan Dayton High School Media Center and Camden High School.

DIGroupArchitecture, a certified Minority-Owned, Disadvantaged and Small Business Enterprise (MBE/DBE/SBE), was founded in 2006 and follows the credo “Architecture for Change.”

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PERTH AMBOY, N.J. — New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) CEO Charles McKenna celebrated alongside city school students and local officials at a ceremonial beam signing for the new Seaman Avenue Elementary School on May 24.

The three-story, 128,000-square-foot school will accommodate nearly 800 students in grades K-5 and is expected to cost nearly $56.4 million.  The new elementary school design will bring 38 classrooms, six small group instruction rooms, four basic skills/ESL/resource rooms, science demonstration room, speech room, vocal and instrumental music rooms, computer lab, gymnasium, media center, cafeteria, multipurpose room with stage, outdoor play and learning areas.

EPIC Management Inc., of Piscataway, N.J., was granted a $43.6 million contract for the design and construction of the school. EPIC is working with DIGroupArchitecture, of New Brunswick, N.J., on the design, with GREYHAWK North America LLC, of Mt. Laurel, as the project manager. SDA has invested nearly $93 million in completed projects in Perth Amboy since the start of the school construction program, with its current portfolio of working projects estimated to be approximately $2 billion — including the Capital Project portfolio, emergent projects and Regular Operating District grants.

The school design process also applied a design-build approach, which diverges from the traditional approach in that SDA contracts with one firm for both design and construction of a school facilities project. This method allows for some design and construction portions of the project to proceed simultaneously with advanced or completed phases, an approach that could make way for improvements upon the original project timeline.

The groundbreaking on the project commenced in October on district-owned land, and the school is scheduled to welcome students for the 2019-2020 school year.

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