2019-20 Sustainable Ag/Design Building

Photo 1: the building is nearly ready to welcome students in the new year.

Photo 2: the design studio awaits final painting.

Photo 3: the classroom area in its finished state.

Photo 4: plumbing is ready for installation of sinks. Women's bathroom is to the left and men's bathroom to the right.

Photo 1: the finishing touches are being applied to the lighting fixtures in the classroom.

Photo 2: lighting has been installed in the design studio.

Photo 3: a crew member installs the hardware for the entry door.

Photo 4: fixtures are being installed in the unisex/ADA-accessible bathroom.

Photo 5: the rear of the building (facing the Liberty campus).

Photo 1: in the classroom space, HVAC ducts and lighting have been installed

Photo 2: crews continue with installation of the electric cabling, HVAC ducts and lighting.

Photos 3 and 4: front and back views of the building.

All the windows have been installed on the exterior of the building.

HVAC ductwork, lighting and power cabling are being installed in the shop room and classroom.

Planting of small shrubs has begun in the bioswale, with trees and shrubbery standing by to be planted.

The shop area lies beyond the opened shop door.

Lighting and ductwork continue to be installed in the shop area.

In the classroom space, walls have been sheetrocked, and windows and lighting fixtures are being installed.

Windows are being installed in the classroom area.

Windows have been partially installed at the front of the building.

Rear side of the building.

HVAC ductwork and sheetrock are being installed in the shop area of the building.

In the classroom area, the concrete floor is being smoothed.

The shop door opens to the outside storage area.

Paneling and brickwork have been finished on the exterior of the building

The building exterior is nearly complete: roof panels have been placed and half of the exterior wall panels have been installed.

Work continues on framing the building structure and adding roofing and wall panels. Inside, plumbing pipes are being installed.

The structure is nearly completely framed, with brickwork installed on the perimeter of the building. Sidewalk and curb have been installed, utility pipe is being trenched, and work continues on the bioswale. Jacobsen Road can be seen at the bottom of the aerial photo.

As construction of the building frame continues, rooms are beginning to be outlined.

Framing on the new building continues, as more beams await installation.

The full foundation has been poured, and crews are starting to frame the building.

The concrete foundation has been about two-thirds poured and crews smooth and polish the still-wet concrete. The concrete, when polished, also serves as the floor of the building.

The concrete footings are set and the bioswale has been excavated.

Sustainable design students from two of Kevin Crabtree's classes visited the bond project site, led by Corp Inc. project superintendent Loren Magnusson. The tour, one of many that will occur during the project construction, was organized by Crabtree and Magnusson to expose students to real-life, hands-on applications of design and construction, right in Liberty's backyard.

"We want to be sure to talk to them not only about the construction process," Magnusson said, "but also about the sustainability issues [as well as] the job opportunities that are available in construction."

Crabtree believes that students are "well-programmed" to do classroom activities, but struggle with hands-on experiences. The sustainable agriculture/design program was developed to "build those skills back."

"This generation, especially," he added, "is going to have to deal with a whole new set of obstacles related to [limited] resource allocation and just changes in their daily activities. So, I think to have that [sustainability] mindset and that understanding of how to do things more responsibly is helpful."

Juniors Carissa Martines and Gabe Jones, both anticipating futures in sustainability and/or the environment, agreed that the experience was "cool."

"There's a lot that we talked about in class that you can see is being applied on-site. It was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be," Martines remarked. Jones also appreciated getting the "inside look" of what was going on at the site.

Magnusson explained that the bond project site is a "zero-balance" site for excavation and grading - this means that whatever is excavated can be re-used on-site to make surface grade and not have to be hauled off. However, gravel still needs to be brought in and is used for compaction purposes only (i.e., for pad use and trenches).

Students reviewed the area for their new building's foundation, which has been dug, is currently being reinforced, and will be filled with concrete using one, "monolithic" pour. The group also got a close look at a large mound of ground, recycled glass gravel that will be incorporated in trench compaction and backfill areas. Another aspect of the site is a bioswale that will provide stormwater filtration and drainage.

"The idea of putting in a swale," Jones said, "we had thought about [building] over by our orchard for our final this year. I was really into the [sustainability aspect] of the bioswale, how that's going to be put in, and what it's going to do for the site as a whole."

The steel building, housing a classroom and work areas, is being designed with reinforced roofing to accommodate solar panels, an exciting prospect for the students. The panels will provide not only energy, but also educational opportunities about renewable power sources. Crabtree expects the panels to be installed later, subject to obtaining other, non-bond funding sources.

Jones suggested that sustainable measures are not limited to the Liberty campus, but should be applied to the district's older schools, especially natural daylighting.

"I think sustainable engineering is really important," Martines added. "It's really cool to see how they're using it here."

Project crews are excavating the bioswale for the new sustainable agriculture/design building.