Walbridge replaced two elementary schools as part of an 11-school capital improvement program for Orange County Public Schools.
Built in 1989 and 1992, respectively, John Young and Shingle Creek were two of four hard-bid school replacement projects for the district. The two new buildings – identical in appearance – were based on a prototype elementary school built for the district a year earlier. They’re both two stories, 83,150 square feet in size and boast all the 21st Century elementary school standards.
Both were constructed using energy-efficient materials, such as reflective roofing, and feature low-flush toilets, motion-sensor lighting and other eco-friendly fixtures.
School buildings of this caliber would typically take 12 months to build. But the new John Young and Shingle Creek buildings were constructed on a fast-track schedule, completed and turned over in just eleven months to allow teachers and staff time to get in and set up prior to the start of the 2014-15 school year.
John Young and Shingle Creek elementary schools were delivered using the hard bid delivery system, which provided savings to the client to the tune of approximately $2 million less than the prototype constructed a year earlier. Additionally, Walbridge was able to save the school district more than $370,000 on taxes, which is about 10 percent more than they typically save on projects like this. More than 35 percent of the project’s materials were purchased using the tax savings.
Walbridge’s team in Florida broke ground on John Young and Shingle Creek in September 2013. Both schools were turned over in early August 2014.