GSCC Bids Retrofit Roof of Electronics Buidling

We received (under budget) bids this morning to construct a sloped metal retrofit roofing system on the former Automotive Building at Gadsden State Community College's Ayers Campus in Anniston. The College has retrofit a number of older flat-roofed buildings on the campus, and this project will continue that investment.

Rendering of retrofit metal roof and new entrance canopy to be constructed in this project.

Under Budget...

We are pleased that bids were received from 6 of 7 pre-qualified general contractors, and that the low bid was substantially (22%) under budget. Aho Architects is also pleased that the average of all bids received is also under budget (by 2.8%). This is consistent with our historical cost estimating performance which is around 2% under budget.

Related work...

Aho Architects is also honored to be GSCC's architect for a complete interior renovation of the same building, under a separate project with construction starting next week. This renovation will convert the structure into a new home for GSCC's electronics programs on the campus. Aho Architects also designed renovations for electronics (robotics, electronics, process logic controls, etc.) on GSCC's East Broad Street Campus. That project is featured here on our website.

View of the existing building before renovation

A Word of Thanks...

Aho Architects and Gadsden State would like to thank the following General Contractors (listed alphabetically) for the time, effort, and investment they made in submitting bids for this project:

Alabama Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.
Assurance Service Group, Inc.
Boatner Construction Co., Inc.
Dunn Building Company
Hale Building Company
Kent Consolidated Construction, Inc.

Classroom Design Matters

A study published by Salford University in Manchester, U.K. presents some interesting findings related to student achievement and the design of their learning environments.

The study's findings include:

Classroom environment can affect a child’s academic progress over a year by as much as 25%

73% of the variation in pupil performance driven at the class level can be explained by the building environment factors measured in this study.

The study examined design parameters such as classroom orientation, natural light and noise, temperature and air quality. Other issues such as flexibility of space, storage facilities and organisation, as well as use of color were also evaluated.

The full article can be viewed on Salford's website here. The research is also published at ScienceDirect.com here.

Overview of Research Design  |  Figure from ScienceDirect.comhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132312002582#gr1 — **Overview of Research Design** | Figure from ScienceDirect.com
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132312002582#gr1

CACC Biology Lab Project Bids are in Budget

Yesterday, we received bids for the Biology Lab Renovation Project for Central Alabama Community College, Alexander City campus. This project is the first construction project bid under a multi-year Open-End agreement for projects <$250,000 which CACC awarded Aho Architects a few months ago.

New Biology Laboratory and Lecture Space  |  CACC, Alexander City, AL — **New Biology Laboratory and Lecture Space** | CACC, Alexander City, AL

The biology lab renovation project converts existing general classroom space into a state-of-the-art lecture/classroom/laboratory facility for the college's biology classes.

A total of 6 bids were received from pre-qualified general contractors, and the results were within budget and within 1% of our cost estimate, a testament to our team's estimating abilities.

A Word of Thanks...

Aho Architects and CACC would like to thank the following General Contractors (listed alphabetically) for the time, effort, and investment they made in submitting bids for this project:

Assurance Service Group, Inc.
Battle-Miller Construction Corp.
Bullard-Cook, Inc.
Henderson & Coker, Inc.
J.A. Lett Construction Co., Inc.
M.J. Brooks & Son Construction, Inc.

Shelton State Renovation of Bldg. 200 Nears Completion

Our interior renovation of Building 200 on the C.A. Fredd Campus of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa is nearing completion. The project should be ready for final inspection in the coming weeks.

Gadsden State Holds Open House for 2 Aho Projects

Yesterday, Gadsden State Community College held open houses at two projects designed by Aho Architects: The New Automotive Services Technology Building, and the Bevill Center Renovation. In addition to the open houses, the College held a parade between the two projects and dedicated a new campus gateway road and intersection project. (Please click the preceding links for photos and more info. about each project.)

New Automotive Services Technology Building  |  Gadsden State Community College, East Broad Street Campus, Gadsden, AL — **New Automotive Services Technology Building** | Gadsden State Community College, East Broad Street Campus, Gadsden, AL

Bevill Center Renovation  |  Gadsden State Community College, East Broad Street Campus, Gadsden, AL — **Bevill Center Renovation** | Gadsden State Community College, East Broad Street Campus, Gadsden, AL

GSCC President Dr. Raymond Staats addresses the crowd, while Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton looks on — GSCC President Dr. Raymond Staats addresses the crowd, while Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton looks on

Mary Scott Hunter, State Board of Education Member (District 8), spoke about pride of place, showing your history and what you're about

Dr. Mark Heinrich, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, addresses the crowd

Additional media coverage can be found on al.com and in the Gadsden Times

New Photos of WSCC Academy of Cosmetic Arts

Here are some new photos of the Academy of Cosmetic Arts at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL.

Click any image above for a larger view and more details.

For more information about this project, please click here for details. You can also use the following links for more information about our work for Community Colleges and other Education Clients.

Behind-the-scenes with three students in Wenonah High School's hospitality and tourism class (from al.com)

The Birmingham News' on-line site (al.com) recently featured students from the Culinary Arts program at Wenonah High School, designed by Aho Architects.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/02/behind-the-scenes_look_at_weno.html

We're very proud of these students, as well as the education and opportunities they have received. It was an honor to serve as architects for the facilities which support them.

You can see additional images of their school on our website here.

and by going to http://www.ahoarch.com/education-gallery?tag=Birmingham+City+Schools

Image from al.com(http://media.al.com/birmingham-news/photo/2013/02/12207733-standard.jpg) — Image from al.com
(http://media.al.com/birmingham-news/photo/2013/02/12207733-standard.jpg)

New Wenonah High School  |   Birmingham City Schools — **New Wenonah High School** | Birmingham City Schools

A Nice Feature Wall (Interior Design)

Feature Wall  |  The 2-tone effect is achieved by using two different finishes (matte and gloss) of the same paint color. — **Feature Wall |** The 2-tone effect is achieved by using two different finishes (matte and gloss) of the same paint color.

This is an image (construction in progress) of a feature wall created by our Interior Designer and Project Manager, April Cain. This is in the Building 200 Interior Renovation project at Shelton State Community College (C.A. Fredd Campus) in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Two finishes of the same black-colored paint create the effect, which varies subtly with changes in viewing position and lighting conditions.

Univ. of Alabama Student Media Renovation Nears Completion

The renovation of the Alice Kidd Building for University of Alabama's Student Media organizations is nearing completion.

This renovation of one of the former nursing home buildings on the Bryce Hospital campus was on a particularly tight time frame and budget and will serve as the new home of various student media organizations such as the university's newspaper.

WSCC Advanced Visualization Center Complete

The Advanced Visualization Center and Academy of Cosmetic Arts renovation project at Wallace State Community College is complete. Classes and programs have started using the facility.

Reception  |  Advanced Visualization Center  | Wallace State Community College, Hanceville, AL — **Reception** | **Advanced Visualization Center** | Wallace State Community College, Hanceville, AL

​Under Budget...

Related work...

A Word of Thanks...

The study's findings include:

Yesterday, we received bids for the Biology Lab Renovation Project for Central Alabama Community College, Alexander City campus. This project is the first construction project bid under a multi-year Open-End agreement for projects <$250,000 which CACC awarded Aho Architects a few months ago.

A total of 6 bids were received from pre-qualified general contractors, and the results were within budget and within 1% of our cost estimate, a testament to our team's estimating abilities.​

A Word of Thanks...

You can see additional images of their school on our website here.

The renovation of the Alice Kidd Building for University of Alabama's Student Media organizations is nearing completion.

Under Budget...

A total of 6 bids were received from pre-qualified general contractors, and the results were within budget and within 1% of our cost estimate, a testament to our team's estimating abilities.