Gilbane Celebrates Topping Off of West Elementary School in Andover, MA

By Justin Johnson.
Updated Apr 4, 2023

ANDOVER, Mass. (PRWEB) April 04, 2023 - Officials from Andover Public Schools, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Town of Andover joined students, educators, and representatives from PMA Consultants, SMMA, and Gilbane Building Company to celebrate the official topping off of the 190,000-SF West Elementary School.

Designed by SMMA, with PMA Consultants serving as owners project manager, the new school will create inclusive, flexible, and adaptable learning environments for 925 elementary school students. The Town of Andover is also relocating its Shawsheen Preschool to this facility for 130 pre-k students. Located in a dedicated wing, separate from the elementary school, the preschool will have access to shared resources and amenity spaces.

During ceremonial remarks, Jack McCarthy, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), noted the continued success of the project team, commending the Town of Andover in assembling the collaborative team of SMMA, PMA Consultants, and Gilbane. I have no doubt that this project will be completed on time and successfully, he said. Because that is what these three organizations do for us all over the Commonwealth.

The new West Elementary will feature modern, adaptable educational spaces including classrooms that can easily transition into larger group work areas to support accessibility and collaboration. Each space in the new school will center on community, with classrooms grouped by grade level in separate wings focused around neighborhood learning commons with abundant natural light. Larger educational spaces located off individual classrooms allow grades to mingle and build community.

Multi-purpose spaces and other communal areas throughout the school offer diverse seating opportunities to encourage engagement. The cafeteria will share a moveable wall with the gymnasium; a flexible connection to support project-based learning, exhibitions, and performances.

This satisfying moment and important construction milestone is a reminder of the exceptional work exhibited by the entire project team in getting us to this point in the project, said Mike OBrien, senior vice president and business unit leader for Gilbane in Massachusetts. Topping off ceremonies are especially important, as they are a real celebration of our trade partners and Id like to specifically commend the hard work that got us to this point by the men and women from Locals 429, 339, 4, 175, and 7.

As part of Gilbanes student inclusion program, a project vision wall has been installed on site, allowing children a safe vantage point to monitor the construction of their new school. The viewing area features project statistics, such as the amount of concrete and steel being used throughout construction, in relatable terms for elementary school learning. The steel used to build West Elementary weighs over 2.8 million pounds or 200 elephants.

West Elementary School is slated for completion by 2024.

About Gilbane Building Company Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 46 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.