Barton Malow Builders Expand into K–12 Market

Contracting firm Barton Malow Builders announced this week that it is partnering with Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., as the construction manager on a large-scale capital improvement project. According to a press release, the Low-Voltage Systems Capital Renewal project is valued at more than $20 million and aims to replace and update fire alarms, security camera sub-systems and intercoms at about 40 schools around the district.

“Barton Malow is excited to partner with OCPS, one of the largest school districts in the nation,” said Randy Zylstra, Director of Florida Operations for Barton Malow. The partnership will also involve VoltAir Consulting Engineers and Provisions Construction & Development, two minority partner firms, in an effort to foster relationships among local businesses.

Barton Malow ranked #13 in Building Design + Construction’s 2020 list of Top K–12 Contractors, as well as #10 in the Engineering News-Record’s 2020 list of Top Education Contractors. Construction on the Capital Renewal project is scheduled to begin this fall and to finish sometime during 2022. Officials also anticipate that the project will create a substantial number of new jobs in Central Florida.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.