In 2016, voters approved a $247.5 million bond measure proposed by Sherwood School District. Nearly three years later, construction crews are continuing to make progress on the largest bond project – a new high school expected to cost approximately $147 million.

BRIC Architecture designed the new Sherwood High School, which will have more square feet – 353,000 – than any other in Oregon when it’s completed. That will allow the facility to serve as many as 2,400 students.

“It became clear that creating a path to more capacity was what they needed,” BRIC Architecture principal Karina Ruiz said. “And we were able to create transformative projects downstream. We’ve been involved from the get-go in helping them shape what the high school of the future can be in Sherwood.”

Community discussions took place before the bond measure was put before voters. That process significantly informed the layout, appearance and amenities, Ruiz said.

Construction manager-general contractor Skanska USA Building began its work last summer, and completion is scheduled for summer 2020. Currently, a state-of-the-art auditorium and a 2,885-seat sports stadium are taking shape. Crews are building formwork and pouring the first slabs for the stadium. More than 800 vehicle parking spaces and 260 bicycle parking spaces will serve the school, the stadium, two baseball fields, two softball fields and two soccer fields.

Of course, security and technology will be plainly evident in the new school. A secure vestibule will be used to funnel visitors before they enter the main building. CCTV cameras, motion sensors and other tech-based security features also will be installed.

“There’s safety and security,” BRIC Architecture senior project manager Tonie Esteban said. “And there’s the push to have (Career and Technical Education) spaces. The equipment and spaces needed to support that type of education are more robust and they’re more costly; they’re more complicated buildings now.”

The new school will be far more energy efficient than its predecessor, with superior insulation, building envelope and mechanical systems. Further, all rainwater will be treated on site while windows will be positioned to let in substantial natural light.

“We were really intentional about orienting the building to maximize daylight,” Ruiz said.

The main entrance and its three-story, open-air foyer will provide a central gathering point for exploration of three distinct wings. From there, a student, teacher or visitor will be able to proceed straight into the massive cafeteria and common area dominated by a sloping, elevated ceiling and a learning stair reaching into the building’s lower level. It’s below the grade of the entrance due to the slope of the site, which rises 65 feet from east to west.

A four-story classroom wing will feature structural steel and slab-on-deck construction. It will extend south from the entrance and host the bulk of educational programming. This includes the CTE building, which has been given its own single-story space at the south end.

The gymnasium and additional classrooms comprise the third wing and overlook the football stadium, which is being built in a classic bowl configuration.

“We’re moving to create opportunities for students to learn in different environments, in a variety of different groups doing a variety of activities,” Esteban said. “And that’s very different than putting 30 kids in a box.”

Educational opportunity on-site

Also, for the Sherwood High School project, Skanska USA Building offered a paid project engineer internship this summer.

“Most of our high school (project teams) try to do this if there’s a need and a way to get it done,” Skanska senior project manager Sean Walker said. “We want people who are interested in construction and find value in it and have a potential career in a craft or management or design so we can keep our industry going.”

Grace Gary will be a senior at Sherwood this fall. She’s interested in a possible architecture or engineering career and has been taking applicable classes.

“My teachers recommended that I try this, so I applied,” she said.

From initial applications, eight finalists were chosen and interviewed. Gary was hired for the summer, and finished an eight-week term on Aug. 16. Numerous tasks kept her moving nonstop, she said.

“I’ve been helping the project engineer because he’s normally really busy,” she said. “And I’ve been doing anything anyone needs help with, like spreadsheets. And this week I’m filling in for the lady who normally sits at the front desk. I’ve helped with QA and QC, doing audits of stairwells and rooms to make sure rough-in is complete.”

Skanska likely will look to hire another intern next summer, when other school projects will take place in Sherwood, Walker said.

The experience has been invaluable for Gary, she said.

“I’ve learned so much about the construction process, and I think it’s really interesting to see all the components that go into building something,” she said. “I never really thought about it until now, but at our school we do senior class gifts and it makes me feel like this is my gift to the school.”

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