Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

• By Elizabeth Link
• 06/09/26

When Escambia County School District faced the need to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., closing the campus for years wasn't an option. The school honors 150 years of educational legacy in the community, and relocating students would have disrupted families and severed that long-standing neighborhood connection.

The new school needed to solve three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

 

From Single Phase to Strategic Sequencing

DAG Architects' ability to keep the campus intact during construction was paramount. With two campus buildings no longer fully functional, the team began by creating a new master plan for the site; it included acquiring 20 relocatable classroom buildings to be utilized during construction. The team also renovated a separate existing building onsite to temporarily house administration. Because certain facilities, including a music and art building and an eight-classroom building, had to remain functional, a single-phase approach wasn't possible. Instead, the team opted for a phased approach to the project, which had many benefits on the school campus, including:

• Minimal Operational Disruption: Phased construction allows the school to remain open and operate with minimal interruptions by strategically sequencing tasks so specific areas remain accessible and functional throughout the project construction.
• Lower Risk Management: Each phase builds on the last, making the overall construction process more manageable as it is easier to source materials and labor. This reduces the likelihood of costly delays or complications.
• Flexibility to Adapt: Completing initial phases allows stakeholders to provide feedback that informs subsequent stages, such as increasing the scope of the project. It also helps to mitigate possible challenges in the design, though this requires increased diligence to the project and site.

Challenges

The biggest challenge involved unknown conditions like locating existing utilities and establishing water, sewer, fire, and telecommunications connections to the temporary campus. Additionally, all power had to be rerouted in a manner that allowed the team to tear down buildings while still maintaining functionality. To further complicate things, for a period in the construction process, all existing, temporary, and new systems had to function together, requiring careful coordination of fire alarm and telecommunications switches.

Additionally, because buildings were being demolished at different times, the design team had to carefully stage access while students were on campus. Additional scrutiny of the site was required in line with all safety requirements, such as installing double fences and closing off the temporary campus to maintain student safety.

When Phase 1 was completed, students and administrators moved into the newly constructed building. Currently, all temporary classrooms, buildings, and walkways are being removed, making way for future additions on the campus.

 

Design Philosophy

As a true neighborhood school, Myrtle Grove needed to maintain its presence in the community. The new construction wouldn't replicate the older building's appearance; rather, it would provide something special to reinforce its connection to the community and the school's long history.

The design incorporates the traditional feel of older schools, with gables, red brick, brick patterning, and white trim. DAG Architects researched historic schools throughout Pensacola for inspiration of what traditional elements have been lost over time. All exterior surfaces feature real brick to give the building a timeless quality, while the interior uses elements such as terrazzo flooring, patterned tile, and clay masonry that allude to its history.

Preserving Historic Elements

Some elements of the school were even salvaged for use in the new facility. The decision about what historic elements to preserve was driven by stakeholders, including the school's previous principal who saved original elements of the school for just this purpose. For example, when interior upgrades were required in the past, she had saved the old wood doors from the cafeteria. These became the doors to the balcony in the new building.

 

Similarly, the team salvaged bricks and the old school letters from the demolished buildings and incorporated them as a feature of the main stairway, mimicking an "entryway" to the exterior. Adjacent to this reconstructed wall is a two-story photographic mural containing photos spanning decades. The combination of elements creates an almost museum-like atmosphere. While this project is not a reconstruction, the building attempts to convey the same feeling as passing through the old school building. This solidifies space as a true member of the community, a place where generations of students will learn, grow, and maintain the legacy of Myrtle Grove Elementary School.

The project was completed for Escambia County School District with DAG Architects serving as architect of record. Twenty temporary portable buildings housed students during the multi-year construction process, enabling zero school closure days throughout the rebuild.