91视频

Spring has arrived, but on a recent visit to Gresham High School, construction crews were battling wind gusts approaching 30 miles per hour. There, hundreds of tradespeople are working on a 169,000-square-foot expansion and modernization project, with general contractor Fortis Construction leading the way.

鈥淭he weather has been a challenge because we’re typically out of the wind by now,鈥� Fortis superintendent Dave Salisbury said. 鈥淭he wind shuts down our crane, and when the crane is shut down we’re not as effective. It’s tough because there’s not much we can do; some things we completely shut down and others we have to work around.鈥�

The project began with demolition of the existing auditorium and several outbuildings in late 2017. Ground was broken in April 2018 on the new three-story classroom wing and new auditorium.

These days, an average of 100 tradespeople are working the site each day. They range from ironworkers to electricians, masons, plumbers, sheet metal and HVAC technicians, carpenters, glaziers and more.

An exterior, weather-resistant barrier is being installed, along with roofing for the new classroom wing. Inside, steel framing is being built and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work is proceeding alongside.

Meanwhile, masons and ironworkers are busy constructing the new auditorium, which does not yet have a roof.

鈥淲e’re pretty much ready for rock on level three, and we’re real close on level two and we’re working on level one,鈥� Salisbury said. 鈥淏ut until we get some more of the skin systems installed, we can’t really do any rock.鈥�

The auditorium, he added, is being framed with structural steel.

鈥淭hose are the two main pieces and there are some other pieces in there to connect the dots,鈥� he said.

The project is being built in two phases; the first involves the new classroom wing and auditorium. The entrance to the new auditorium will dominate the intersection of Southeast Division Street and Main Avenue.

Designed by BLRB Architects, the project features a series of 鈥減orches鈥� to activate the streetscape. Additionally, the school’s historic fa莽ade will be honored in concept and detail, with massive cast-in-place concrete 鈥渂ookends鈥� reconstructed and adorned with original artifacts. The school’s original fa莽ade will be retained where the building remains in its original state.

So far, the project is on schedule, and completion of the first phase is expected by the start of the 2019-20 school year. The second phase will involve demolition of old outbuildings and the original gymnasium and construction of their replacements. Completion of that phase is expected to come around December 2020.