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PROJECT TEAM + STATS:

Project Location: Ashland, Oregon

Project Cost: $11 million

Start Date: July 2008

Completion Date: September 2009

Owner/Developer: Ashland School District No. 5

Architect: DLR Group

Engineer: ZCS Engineering

General Contractor: Adroit Construction Company

With less than a year to get the work done, Ashland’s Adroit Construction Company led the restoration of a 1910 schoolhouse and built a 45,000-square-foot addition to create a modern elementary school.

Previous additions conflicted with the architecture of the rough sawn wood-framed schoolhouse. The project team stripped away everything but the 7,000-square-foot entryway, which was retained to give the building character and honor its 100-year-old history.

As the team began its work, it discovered significant structural deficiencies. Rather than a simple facelift, the restoration became a major retrofit that had to be done from the inside so the exterior envelope wouldn’t be damaged.

“We had a lot more work to do and no more schedule, so the timeframe was the biggest challenge,” said Bob Mayers, Adroit Construction’s chief executive officer.

The restoration included new foundations, load-bearing and sheer walls, and a new roof diaphragm. The 45,000-square-foot addition, which was built simultaneously, houses a gym, cafeteria, and administration and classroom spaces.

“The decision to keep part of the old school is really a nice transition between the old and the new, and this is one of our nicest projects architecturally,” Mayers said.