91视频

The modernization of Franklin High School is the largest school construction project going in the Portland area and the largest of the four main projects funded by a bond approved by voters in 2012, in both size (279,000 square feet) and dollar amount ($112 million). Much effort has gone into preserving the exterior appearance and layout of the 100-year school, but crews are otherwise building anew.

鈥淲e’re trying to match all the brickwork to keep the historic look from the outside,鈥� said Johnny Metoyer, senior project manager for owner’s representative Heery International. 鈥淚nternally though, it’s pretty much a full gut.鈥�

To comply with historic preservation guidelines and mandates to comb out all lead and asbestos 鈥� as well as the nostalgic will of the Franklin community 鈥� the team renovating the school has had to walk a fine line to deliver Portland Public Schools a modern facility.

New track on track

Architect DOWA-IBI Group emerged from meetings with the project’s Design Advisory Group with two main directives: keep as much of Franklin’s historic colonial revival look as possible, and 鈥� as reiterated many times 鈥� replace the running track.

鈥淚 sat through many DAG meetings and the community was very adamant about that track,鈥� said Ken Fisher, Heery’s program manager for the PPS bond program.

One of Franklin’s quirks has long been its four-bank, 鈥淣ASCAR-style鈥� track 鈥� think: four straightaways 鈥� that have prevented the school from hosting official athletic events. A new oval-shaped track will enable state records to be set at the school. Other new athletic amenities include new batting cages for the ball fields and new grandstands for the football field.

The State Historic Preservation Office also had lots of input on project design. It required that all historic windows be cleaned and renovated. Also, the main building’s 鈥渟pine鈥� must remain intact.

David Mayne, PPS spokesman for the bond program, said preserving the building’s historic appearance is a priority, but not just because it’s required by the state.

鈥淲e’re doing it because that’s what the community wanted,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e designed the project around what the community wanted.鈥�

Skanska was brought on early in the design phase as construction manager-general contractor to advise on constructability and pricing. Portland Public Schools has an aspiration project goal of 18 percent participation by minority contractors.

Franklin High School is scheduled to 鈥済o online鈥� in time for the 2017-18 academic year. In late August, Franklin staffers and students began their second school year in the Marshall High School facility, in Southeast Portland. When that contingent moves out, its counterparts at Grant High School will move in while a modernization of its facility takes place; that project is still in the design phase.

For now, Franklin houses 200-plus predominantly-union construction workers a day. The old track serves as their parking lot.

Expecting the unexpected

A major aspect of the project is the new gymnasium building, which will contain athletic space and biomedical classrooms, to match an expanded academic focus on health and wellness. The culinary curriculum, for instance, will be expanded to better prepare students for careers in food service. Large exhaust hoods 鈥� like those found in a commercial kitchen 鈥� were installed in the Franklin teaching kitchen.

The gym itself is massive 鈥� 45 feet from floor to ceiling 鈥� and large enough to hold the school’s 1,700 students collectively. This month, a tangle of temporary plastic ductwork was piping in heat to condition and dehumidify the space ahead of gym floor installation.

鈥淲hat you don’t want to have is moisture when you’re putting in a wood floor,鈥� Metoyer said.

Elevators were being installed in the gym building. Upon project completion, Franklin will have five elevators (an existing one is being brought up to code) and two wheelchair lifts (one will access the auditorium’s orchestra pit). The project contract also calls for returning the clock in the school’s landmark tower to working order.

The language of the 2012 bond also calls for seismic remediation of Franklin. Less than half of the project is new construction, so shear walls are being added 鈥� basement to roof 鈥� in the old education building, and the roofs are being tied together.

When adapting old buildings to modern use, original plans don’t serve as the best guidance, Metoyer said. Fewer building codes and safety concerns existed a century ago, though the quality of craftsmanship was high.

鈥淭he challenge with an old facility is when you open it up, you find things that aren’t documented,鈥� Metoyer said. 鈥淪ometimes it’s not built the way it’s documented. So you have to adjust your designs a little to meet the requirements of the project. It’s been one of the biggest challenges we’ve had on this project. But that’s why the team is here, to work through all that.鈥�

Removing all asbestos and lead from the building has represented another significant challenge. Franklin was built under a city mandate for fireproof schools. As such, it’s chock-full of asbestos 鈥� a fire suppressant now known to be a health hazard.

鈥淲e spent a significant amount of money on asbestos abatement,鈥� Fisher said.

All the building’s piping will be replaced, from the connections at the street to the fixtures inside. Most of the old walls containing lead paint have been taken down. What remains will be sealed and painted over.

Skanska was impacted a little by the ongoing construction labor shortage, but managed to work with unions enough to avoid schedule impacts. Three to five days were lost in the past winter when wet weather rendered the site inaccessible, but workers have made up the time and are on track for substantial completion on May 25, 2017. At that point, the standard close-out procedure will begin.

First is the punch list, where scuffed floors and flickering lights will be given attention. Then furniture will be loaded up and items like the school’s wooden Ben Franklin statue will be removed from storage and reinstalled. Also, the building’s heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems will be tested prior to certificates of occupation being granted by the city and other regulatory agencies. The buildings should be 鈥渟tudent-ready鈥� by Aug. 1, giving teachers and staff a few days to adjust to all the changes.

鈥淚t’ll be here before we know it,鈥� Fisher said.

Franklin High School

Size: 279,000 square feet

Cost: $112 million

Owner: Portland Public Schools

Contractor: Skanska

Architect: DOWA-IBI Group