Pawtucket Elementary School Celebrates Topping Out Ceremony

Officials gathered recently to celebrate the topping out of a new STEAM elementary school in Pawtucket, R.I. Representatives from the Pawtucket School District, the State of Rhode Island and the City of Pawtucket joined those from Colliers Project Leaders, the SLAM Collaborative and Gilbane Building Company to commemorate the milestone of the 93,694-square-foot Henry J. Winters Elementary School.

During the ceremony, the last beam was laid across the top of the building. The three-story facility will have space for 643 students between pre-kindergarten and fifth grade. The district partnered with the SLAM Collaborative for design and Gilbane Building Company for construction. The project had a budget of $50 million.

“In delivering this project, we’ve not only focused on client satisfaction, sustainability, safety and innovation, but also diversity and community engagement,” said Steve Duvel, Gilbane senior vice president and New England division leader, in a press release. “As we celebrate this milestone and look toward the future of the project, we further our commitment to Pawtucket, the state of Rhode Island and the generations of students who will call this building home.”

Upgrades from the previous facility will include a student drop-off area designed for optimal traffic flow, increased security measures and energy-efficient HVAC systems.

“We know that our students deserve the best educational experience we can give them, and we must maintain our commitment to them, their teachers and the school department to further opportunities and engage in education through better schools and classrooms,” said Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien in June 2021.

Funding for the school came as part of a $220-million bond package that Pawtucket voters approved in 2018 to complete upgrades across the city’s 17 schools. The former Winters Elementary facility was demolished this past summer, and the new facility is scheduled for completion by summer 2022.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.