Machias Construction Progress

With just over 5 months to go before school starts in the new building, the Machias Elementary School construction is progressing rapidly. The structural steel and glu-lam beam frames have been erected, concrete slabs for the 1st and 2nd floors have been poured and the interior wall framing is being installed, followed by sheetrock. Rough-in of electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire sprinkler piping is keeping pace with the rest of the construction.

Here are some photos:

Curved glu-lam columns from the old school building's Gym roof have been placed vertically as columns in the dramatic new design. This view is from the 2nd floor looking over what will be the library space, at the heart of the new school. the roof deck is in place, but the exterior wall sheathing has has not been installed yet.

A view from the exterior "porch", which has a deep overhang, looking toward the library structure. Administration offices are to the left.

This will be a covered outdoor area at a secondary entry point to the school near the Commons, looking toward the IDEA Lab (Interdisciplinary Educational Activities Lab), with a corridor and stair to the 2nd floor to the right.

With the exterior wall framing in place, views through the window openings can now be seen. The classroom wings are oriented toward the wooded areas of the site, with corner windows providing views of the greenery and dappled sunlight.

Another 2nd floor view shows the upper corridor between of the classroom wings and the Gym/Commons area. Windows and skylights will illuminate this space with daylight. The opening at the left is for a stair to the 1st floor.

Steps to access the front of the stage are hewn from the large salvaged glu-lam beams, a cost-effective reuse of existing material and a historical reference to the old school building. Not shown to the left of this photo is the ramp which provides another way to access the stage.

Looking at the building from the edge of the playfields provides a sense of scale. The covered play area is in the foreground on the right, at the end of the new Gym. In the background the structure of curved glu-lam beams is visible. The one-story Administration wing is at the far left.