May 30, 2014
James Masters Elementary School
James Masters Elementary School

James Masters Elementary School

LOCATION
Converse, Texas

SIZE
86,000 sf School
11,000 sf Addition

COMPLETED
School: August 2009
Addition: May 2010

CONSTRUCTION COST
$18,237,966

OWNER
Judson Independent School District

The project encompassed a full scale 86,000 sf elementary school and an 11,000 sf addition. The school serves the educational needs of over 590 students. The project consisted of a single story building with drilled piers, suspended slab, concrete and steel frame, CMU cavity walls, brick veneer and membrane roofing. The design included a large translucent assembly to let natural light into the library area and a color palette was use to make the area inviting and “pods” distinguishable by color.

A substantial Value Engineering effort was made to assure that the project was brought in within the School District’s budget. For example, this school was one of the first with PEX branch piping for plumbing in lieu of traditional methods.

The facility includes classrooms, gymnasium, science labs and food service with a completely self sufficient kitchen, cafeteria area with stage, music rooms, administrative offices and ancillary support areas. On-site improvements included; parking, covered walkways, utilities, large play fields and playgrounds.

The addition was built while students were on campus and school was in session. The team was faced with the daily challenge of ensuring the safety of these children. Extra fencing and screening was added to the construction area. Journeyman put up an additional 200x200 feet of fencing around the material area to ensure the safety of both the students and the faculty. Due diligence was a daily requirement when it came to curious children who were fascinated by the construction. The Superintendent tasked himself with the safety of these children and kept an ‘eye’ on them over the course of the day.

Weslaco Music Hall
Weslaco Music Hall

WESLACO MUSIC HALL

 

LOCATION
Weslaco, Texas

SIZE
41,000 sf

COMPLETED
March 2013

CONSTRUCTION COST
$3,815,473

OWNER
Weslaco ISD

The new 41,000 sf Weslaco High School Music Halls provide rehearsal rooms for Symphonic Band, Choir, Honors Band and Jazz Band each with its own office and storage room. The larger Marching and Concert Band rehearsal room includes its own office, three storage rooms and a music library. A large practice room contains 14 individual sound isolation rooms to provide students with a quiet space to practice individually. In addition, there are men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers, bathrooms and lockers.

The state-of-the-art Music Halls boast several features not common to the South Texas area. There are 52 solar tubes on the roof to provide natural lighting throughout the building. The solar tubes capture the sunlight and distribute the rays, lighting the inside of the building with a beautiful natural light, minimizing the need for electric lighting during the day.

Additional state-of-the-art components include four cisterns on the south side of the building that each collects approximately 25,000 gallons of rain water off the roof, which is then used to irrigate the landscaping via a sprinkler system.

Lattices are installed from the ground up to ten feet high on the north, east and west sides of the building to grow vegetation which shades the building while providing beautiful color. The main corridor in the building has a suspended serpentine ceiling for sound proofing, but it also creates a barreled ceiling effect for way-finding.

May 20, 2014
Del Valle Ninth Grade Center and Opportunity Center
Del Valle Ninth Grade Center and Opportunity Center

Del Valle Ninth Grade Center and Opportunity Center

Del-Valle-Ninth Grade Center and Opportunity Center

LOCATION
Del Valle, Texas

SIZE
9th Grade Center – 77,000 sf
Opportunity Center – 61,000 sf
4.25 acre site

CONSTRUCTION COST
$27,453,379

COMPLETED
August 2009

OWNER
Del Valle ISD

AWARDS
Excellence in Construction
Associated Builders and Contractors
Central Texas Chapter
2009

Journeyman Construction, Inc. was selected to build an 800-student 9th Grade Center addition to the existing Del Valle High School. The companion project included a separate multi-level alternative education Opportunity Center located on the same campus. Cost and quality targets were achieved with Journeyman receiving its Certificate of Occupancy one week before the date originally outlined in the project scope.

Delivered on time and on schedule, the 9th Grade Center is a multi-level 77,000 sf addition to Del Valle High School. The sophisticated building design and a compressed completion schedule made effective planning and coordination were major concerns. By working with the Owner, Architect and Campus staff allowed work activities to be adjusted so that major noise producing activities were scheduled around vital testing activities and instruction while effectively maintaining the critical path. The Opportunity Center is a 61,000 sf free-standing, self-contained instructional facility.

Both buildings utilized a variety of building systems including, but not limited to: extensive use of precast concrete and structural steel superstructure, architectural aluminum composite panes, masonry, storefront/curtainwall glazing systems, chilled water; and ground source mechanical systems with digital controls and roofing systems include a mix of architectural metal, single-ply and cold applied modified bitumen systems. Site development and infrastructure included expanded parking and site circulation, storm utilities and detention capacity to support future development.

Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary School
Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary School

Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary School

LOCATION
Corpus Christi, Texas

SIZE
78,000 sf

COMPLETED
December 2011

CONSTRUCTION COST
$10,713,328

OWNER
Corpus Christi Independent School District

The new Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary school was a replacement for Carroll Lane and Casa Linda Elementary schools. The new building was built on the former site of Carroll Lane Elementary.

The new school has 77,000 sf with 40 standard and specialized classrooms, an art lab, science, music and computer labs, library, food service, administration and a covered pavilion that serves as a basket ball court with an adjacent playground area.

The exterior of the building has glazed block plus brick veneer. The interior features terrazzo floors and painted graphics. The corridor’s vaulted plaster ceiling is painted blue to imitate the sky. Clerestory windows run the length of the main corridor, allowing the corridor to be filled with natural light. Other corridors have skylights that allow additional natural lighting. Each corridor is color-coded by each grade level for a more organized and colorful school.

Mathis Middle School
Mathis Middle School

MATHIS MIDDLE SCHOOL

 

LOCATION
Mathis, Texas

SIZE
64,000 sf

COMPLETED
August 2010

CONSTRUCTION COST
$8,692,533

OWNER
Mathis Independent School District

AWARDS
2011 Excellence in Construction
Associated Builders and Contractors, Central
Texas Chapter

Journeyman Construction overcame challenges with both rain and mud and delivered the first new middle school for the Mathis Independent School District in over 50 years two weeks ahead of their contractual completion date. The new one-story school building is built on a concrete structural foundation. The exterior wall system is a load-bearing masonry wall comprised of CMU back-up walls and a brick veneer/metal wall combination.

The 64,000 sf included 20 general classrooms, three science lab/lecture rooms, three computer labs, a science lab and a life-skills room. The school’s design integrated both the students and faculties needs at the very core of the school. The project architect designed the school so that courtyards, between the wings, provided natural daylight to all the classrooms and administrative areas. In addition to natural daylight, the school’s central courtyard, accessible from both the main lobby at the north and the bus and parent drop off on the south was specifically designed as a protected play area for students. The wings of the school were organized around a central core of major support spaces including the library, cafeteria, and administrative/clinic suite. Weather was a significant challenge on this project with the area experiencing record rainfall (in a previously very dry area) over the main portion of the building. The crew dealt with rain delays and mud and still managed to deliver the project ahead of schedule. The last month of the job brought drier weather, allowing the team to complete paving and other exterior work on the new school.