Department of General Services, DC
Architecture, Inc.
After nearly 80 years since original construction, Coolidge High School in Washington, DC needed to be modernized with various updated facilities and new areas and program spaces. Originally built in 1940, Southland performed renovation work to classrooms, administrative areas, the cafeteria, and kitchens to modernize the campus located in a congested metropolitan area. In addition to the overall renovations, two new atriums and a shared program space with the new Ida B. Wells Middle School were created.
Southland provided design-build HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection services to the Coolidge campus.
To keep the construction schedule on track between all trades, Southland developed a Short Interval Production Schedule (SIPS). Southland also utilized BIM 360 Glue to drive the BIM and coordination process of all MEP trades, coordinating real-time changes and preventing clashes during the ongoing projects. Additionally, Southland provided support and maintenance for occupied swing spaces during the modernization.
Throughout the project, Southland expanded the scope of work to also include the renovation and cleanup of the neighboring gymnasium complex and chose to use a water-sourced variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system instead of a more common air-cooled VRF system.
This fast-tracked project met Coolidge High School's modernization goals with minimized disruption to the faculty and students still attending class during ongoing construction and included over 45,000 injury-free man hours.