CMAR Tag

Site crews are making swift milestones at Swope Middle School, as students and staff begin to experience school life in the brand new facilities.

“We are excited to see the student body taking advantage of the new buildings,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “From the sports games inside the gym to the concrete walls rising in the kitchen, our work is taking shape quickly, and it’s evident in all of the expansions and renovations thus far.”

Workers continue to make progress at the site of the two-story classroom building, digging out and replacing soil and completing the installation of the underground utilities. Concrete slab pours have begun and will commence in the early morning, and footings will soon be installed; both will continue throughout the season. This building will also hold the new-and-improved school library. In the interim, students are making use of a temporary library that is set up in the activity room of the new gymnasium.

Also within the gym, the new court hosted its first event towards the beginning of the month – a student basketball game. The players enjoyed the modernized basketball hoops and revamped scoreboard, while the audience cheered from the new bleacher seats.

Swope neighbors and families will be pleased to know that students will continue to learn without interruption; crews will continue using sound blankets when needed to block out major construction noise.

Coming up, students at the school will be able to learn about the construction going on right around them. As a part of a newly-created Ambassador Program, industry professionals will visit the students and speak to them all about contracting, architecture, design, engineering and more.

This Fall will welcome swift and notable progress at Swope Middle School, as both expansions and new construction continue to go smoothly and efficiently.

“With the new season comes new milestones at Swope,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “Students and staff will be excited to learn that several facilities will be ready to use in the coming weeks, including the new gym. We look forward to even more progress as Fall continues on.”

Site crews have completed excavations at the location of the new two-story classroom building. Workers continue to make progress as the underground utilities are near completion. When finished, the building will house a new resource center, math and science classrooms, a technology lab, a new teachers’ lounge and workspace, social science and language classrooms, a group room for various activities and a hub space.

The remodel and expansion of the kitchen facilities are progressing and making great headway. Additionally, the new gymnasium will be ready for games at the beginning of October, where students can enjoy the revamped basketball hoops, volleyball courts and a scoreboard. The new fitness center will also be ready to use soon.

More concrete slabs will be poured at various locations throughout the month of October. Setting of concrete masonry unit (CMU) block walls will follow directly after the pours are complete and will continue until the end of the calendar year.

As WCSD settles into the beginnings of the 2021-2022 school year, United Construction and their subcontractors are hard at work making way for more new and remodeled classrooms and buildings at Swope Middle School.

“It is exciting to see the students and staff at Swope begin to use the new-and-improved facilities this school season,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We are all beginning to see a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in terms of the phased construction process, and we look forward to continuing the remodels and moving forward with work on the new building wing.”

The aforementioned building wing will be a new two-story classroom building in the location of the former gymnasium, which has been completely demolished. It will house a new resource center, math and science classrooms, a technology lab, a new teachers’ lounge and workspace, social science and language classrooms, a group room for various activities and a hub space.

In the new gym, the hardwood flooring is complete. On the floor, students can enjoy the revamped basketball hoops, volleyball courts and a scoreboard. The new fitness center will be also be ready to use in the near future.

Band and choir students will soon be able to take advantage of the new music practice rooms, as site workers near completion on the remodels. Additionally, the remodel on the kitchen facilities are now underway.

Up next for the construction team are excavations, followed by the installation of underground utilities directly after excavations are complete.

The third and final phase of United Construction’s work at Swope Middle School is in full swing. The start of this phase is marked by the demolition of old facilities and the building of the new, making room for a strong future for the students at the school.

“As we begin our last phase of construction, I reflect on all the hard work we’ve done alongside our talented subcontractors, architect partners and Washoe County School District,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We are anticipating more incredible changes as we work our way through Phase 3 and finish out the new-and-improved school.”

In mid-July, the former gymnasium was completely demolished, which can be seen captured in the photo to the left. Regarding the demolition, Gunther reports that “all went well, and we are excited to continue bringing the new gym to life.” The bleachers and center court logo have been transferred to the new gym, and the construction team is moving forward with more interior and exterior finishes.

Beyond the gym, the band room has been expanded after the successful demolition of a wall. The team is also gearing up to remove and replace the hallway carpet as well as replace a structural support in the cafeteria this summer.

Students from Swope who opted to attend summer school are doing so at Reno High School. While there, the library is being temporarily moved from its current location that will eventually become the kitchen for the cafeteria. It will be housed in the activity room of the gym until construction of the new library is complete in the two-story building.

Summer has arrived in full force, and with it will come completion of the brand new gym at Swope Middle School as we bid the existing gym goodbye.

“The new gym taking the place of the old gym as it becomes demolished marks a significant milestone for Swope,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “As our team continues to make strides towards a finished, new-and-improved school, we are thrilled to see all of our hard work come to fruition for the students.”

Finishes to the new gymnasium, including interior framing and drywall, are continuing strongly. The roof top HVAC units have been set, and the on-site construction team is powering on the system for the first time

Demolition of the existing gym will commence this month, which marks a major landmark as the school prepares for students to enjoy the new gym facilities. Additionally, site workers are preparing to demolish the library to construct the new kitchen, and they are gearing up to demolish and remodel the band and choir rooms.

Work on the interior of the existing school and installation of the Solatube daylight and ventilation systems has also begun and will continue through the following weeks.

Residents should be aware of the increased truck traffic over the next four weeks as site workers haul off material from the existing gym. We urge neighbors to exercise caution when traveling around the school. Please note: due to ongoing construction and demolition, two of the basketball courts on the west side of the school will not be available this summer.

Photo Credits: Ryland Sweigard

As the 2020-2021 school year at Swope Middle School approaches its end, exterior work on the roofing and interior work on school facilities continues full steam ahead.

“This summer will be a busy time for construction at the school,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager at United Construction. “With finishes to the new gymnasium and roofs starting to take shape, we are poised to move forward with Phase 3 of the project: demolition, new classroom construction and existing facility remodel. I am honored to work alongside my United colleagues and our Washoe County School District, architectural, safety and engineering partners as we hit major milestones on the schoolgrounds.”

Interior framing in the new gymnasium has begun, and drywall will be installed in the coming weeks along with finishes to the basketball hoops, bleachers, wood flooring, paint and lockers. Consequently, demolition of the existing gym will take place in mid-to-late June. Site workers are also preparing to demolish the library to make room for the new kitchen as well as demolish and remodel the band/choir rooms. Outside, neighborhood residents can enjoy the metal canopy close to completion.

Completion of the PVC Membrane Roofing system over the gym marks a significant project landmark. The roof supports four HVAC units (two in the locker rooms and two in the fitness room) that will heat and cool the building. Skylights will also be installed that will amplify natural light into the entire area, which is “a welcomed addition to the typical industrious gym environment,” said Gunther.

In the meantime, residents can expect an increase in traffic through both the west side of the property (Sherwood Drive and Balsam Street) and the east side (Keele Drive).

Photo Credits: Ryland Sweigard

RENO, Nev. — Northern Nevada’s construction community showcased its best work of the past year at the annual PINNACLE Awards, sponsored by the Nevada Chapter AGC.

The Projects In Northern Nevada Achieving Construction Leadership Excellence, or PINNACLE Awards program, was established in 1999 to honor the “Best of the Best” in Northern Nevada construction projects; recognizing construction leadership, excellence and community spirit.

Independent judges from the Utah AGC Chapter, measured entries based on safety, craftsmanship, challenges met, client relations, innovation and “green” building practices. Projects must have been completed during the 2017 calendar year.

General Engineering Construction and Building Construction projects vie separately for the PINNACLE Award in two divisions: under and over $5 million. Specialty Contractors vie for the PINNACLE in the over and under $500,000 $500,000 category.

United Construction received an award for Building Contractors under $5 million: Meeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job for the University Studies Abroad Consortium Annex.

Foot and auto traffic congestion. Unforeseen soil issues. Spikes in material prices. Such were the challenges, and more, overcome by United Construction in building the three-story, 11,631-square-foot office structure in the core of the University of Nevada, Reno’s main thoroughfare.

Situated on the west side of North Virginia Street across from Nightingale Concert Hall, the University Studies Abroad Consortium Annex presented United with changing land elevations that required exterior design adjustments, notably increasing the top floor by three inches to compensate.

Additionally, the site featured heavy clay soil that required mass excavation and the addition of a retaining wall with soil nailing and helical piers. United worked closely with geotechnical consultants to ensure that the retaining wall supported the soil of adjacent properties as well.

Then came a significant escalation in the price of materials, in some cases by 30 percent. One of the building’s interior finishes was to be a wood composite, and the cost swelled by more than $30,000. United worked closely with USAC the architect, Van Woert Bigotti, to find an alternative cedar product at a more reasonable price but with a similar visual impact.

Their teamwork shows in a the iconic stature of the final product which was completed in August 2017 at a cost of $3.8 million.

 

 

Renown United ConstructionReno, NV.  September 27, 2016 – The project is a Tenant Improvement/Renovation for a 42,000 square foot Class-A professional office building located at 10315 Professional Circle, Reno, NV.

United Construction partnered with Renown Health, Hammes Company (Owner’s Representative), and ZPD+A Architects to provide preconstruction services including preliminary pricing, mock-ups,  expertise about local conditions/climate best practices and assisted in coordinating meetings with local planning and building officials to help facilitate the project budget and schedule.

After partnering for the preconstruction phase of the project, and through a competitive bid process, United Construction was selected as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) to complete the demolition and construction phases of the project. Demolition work started last week and the project is scheduled to complete in early spring 2017. Once the renovation work is completed, Hometown Health— the insurance division of Renown and northern Nevada’s only locally-owned, not-for-profit insurance company — will occupy the building.

About United Construction

United Construction is a national construction firm established in 1978 and headquartered in Reno, NV with regional offices in Chicago, IL and Sacramento, CA. United Construction has successfully designed and built over 50 million square feet of commercial, industrial and institutional facilities, offering Design-Build, Design-Assist/CMAR, General Contracting and Construction Management services.