Smith & Company Architects :: Projects

North Forest Independent School District
New Administration Building

Completed: In Progress
Size: 40,400 sq ft

Scope:

On June 8, 2001, flooding caused by Tropical Storm Allison damaged a number of North Forest ISD’s buildings. District administration, working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), determined that the administration building was a total loss forcing the entire administration to be relocated to a former primary school facility. Northwood Middle School, a school that had been closed due to declining enrollment had minor damage due to roof leaks.

In early 2005, Smith & Company was hired to assess the feasibility of relocating the administration to the old Northwood Middle School site. Several site options were presented to the district, all within the $3.5 million budget established by FEMA. Ultimately, the district decided to rehabilitate portions of the school and renovate it into the new administration building, hiring Smith & Company to not only provide architectural services but managing the project as well, including asbestos abatement and cost consulting services.

Currently in Construction Documents, the project will essentially require the entire interior to be gutted. New finishes will be provided throughout the interiors including the use of stained concrete floors and open ceilings. The old gymnasium is being converted to the new board room, utilizing its 30 ft. high ceiling. The existing brick exterior will be entirely skim coated with new EIFS. Cost estimates have been submitted at after each design phase to ensure that the design maintained within budget.

Consultants working with Smith & Company on this project include Gensler (Programming) and Ingenium (Structural Engineering).