Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville Public School
Carden Company’s experience and expertise in phased renovations were put to the test for Rosebank Elementary School – a 2-year, down-to-the-studs gutting and rebuild, with much of the construction having to be done while school was in session.
Originally built in the 1960s, Rosebank Elementary had been through some remodeling before, but it was time for an overhaul: gutting the building, updating the HVAC and plumbing, even opening up windows that had been bricked-up in prior remodels. It was a large project that couldn’t be completed during a summer break. So Carden Company managed a phased construction: during the school year, one section of the school was closed off for construction, with all school activity moved into the rest of the space. When work was completed in the first section, the school children were moved over and renovation began on the other side.
Maintaining the functioning of the school – including the safety of 300 preK to 4th-grade students – while organizing an efficient work site is a challenge Carden Company has taken on several times (e.g. St. Paul Christian Academy, Lebanon Fire Station, Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, Ford of Franklin). The architects and school representatives were pleased with their management of a project.
“I think they were excellent on that front,” said, Jennifer Earwood, the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) construction representative. “I found them to be very collaborative with us. They really helped us anticipate some of the things we hadn’t thought about, so we were really able to be proactive with the logistics of the phasing and the schedule . . . making sure everything was done on time.”
Architects Sonja Wilson and Justin Lowe, of Centric Architecture, also noted that accommodating the school schedule, keeping the kids safe and the construction site closed off and able to function efficiently, were the main challenges. “They were really good at this type of project with its complicated phasing.”
The knowledge and experience of the Carden team was a big part of that success. “Our superintendent was excellent – I think the school adopted him as family by the end. He was accessible, easy to talk to, he contributed to project meetings; he had a lot of good knowledge, experience, a background that helped with this particular project,” said MNPS rep Earwood, adding, “Our project manager was great too. He was very responsive – even now when we have some items we need help with. They were an excellent team for this project.”
Rosebank Elementary is a LEED-certified project having achieved SILVER level certification under the LEED for School v2009 rating system.
