Renovation of an educational facility in Orlando, Florida. Conceptual plans call for the renovation of a educational facility.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2024/06/26/orange-county-schools-gifted-academy-construction.html Orlando Gifted Academy will get a new $45 million, 100,000-square-foot home on its campus near the Mills 50 District. Orange County Public Schools has issued a request for qualifications for architectural and engineering services for the new multistory facility on a nine-acre site at 1121 N. Fern Creek Ave. for up to 700 students in grades 2-8. OCPS will take bids on RFQ 2404PS until July 17. It expects to award the contract in September. Several of the school's existing buildings, which total 47,377 square feet, date back to 1947 when the school opened as Fern Creek Elementary. The magnet school that takes applications from students with high IQs first opened in 2018, and as of January, had 423 students. The projected start of design and pre-construction services is September, with a target to get a construction notice to proceed in July 2025 and to have substantial completion in June 2026. Representatives with the district were not immediately available for comment. Meanwhile, the school district is seeking an extension of its half-penny sales tax for another decade. The tax — which helps fund new schools and repairs at existing campuses —is on the ballot in November for county voters. OCPS is the fourth-largest school district in Florida and eighth largest in the U.S., with 207,993 students. It has more than 210 schools and 24,685 employees, which puts it among the largest employers in the region. Industry leaders expect construction starts in the residential world to drive education projects. Bedford, Massachusetts-based Dodge Construction Network said over the past 12 months, residential starts were up 5% over the year, while nonresidential building starts were down 7%. There is growing grassroots demand for projects, said Richard Branch, chief economist of Dodge Construction Network, in a prepared statement. “Single-family starts, in particular, have risen in eight of the last 12 months despite high mortgage rates. Growth in single-family will incentivize further demand for retail, health and education starts, among others, and the stability in the Dodge Momentum Index, which tracks projects in planning, underscores this optimism.” _____________________ Major elements of the project include: 1. A new, multi-story gifted school campus on the 9 +/- acre site to provide improved facilities for 2nd-8th grade educational programs for approximately 700 student stations consisting of approximately 100,000 square feet, with progressive approaches to: a. 21st Century Learning environment fundamentals. b. Safety and security. c. Classroom/extended learning/learning commons. d. Outdoor learning e. Health, wellness, and sustainability. f. Teaching methods and practices, advanced building design, industrialized construction techniques, the inclusion of state-of-the-art technology, and building flexibility/adaptability. 2. Buildings housing administrative, media center, kitchen/dining, classrooms, skills labs, science labs, art, music suite, career and technical education, exceptional education program elements. 3. Site improvements including but are not limited to parking areas, parent loop, play fields, exterior walkways and canopies, site lighting, site signage, underground utilities, stormwater retention, landscaping, and irrigation. 4. Master plan the campus to include the location of a future 700-student station 2nd-8th grade gifted academy including parking, parent loop, playfield, youth lot, and hard courts. 5. Educational Specifications for an approximate 700-student station Gifted Academy. 6. This work includes but is not limited to, architectural/engineering services for site planning, programming, program verification, schematic design, renderings, design development, construction documents, permitting bidding and construction administration, and close-out. Expected deliverables include, but are not limited to: Facilities List Space Allocation Analysis, Educational Specifications, Cost Estimates, Construction Documents, Fish Plans, Site Plans and 208A Form, Design Calculations, Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Color Charts and Finish Schedules, and Project Schedules. The architect will be required to certify that the project meets one of the three (3) Statute mandated Sustainable Standards and to submit all required checklists. 7. The site will be unoccupied during construction. 8. An early demolition and site package together with equipment purchase will be required to meet the advertised schedule. Prior to completion of Phase II documents, the consultant will provide a life cycle cost analysis to include envelope, windows, roof, HVAC, and any other building systems or sustainability initiatives the district may include. Designs must comply with the Department of Education cost-per-student station limits. Target Schedule: Design/Pre-construction Services Commencement: September 2024 Construction Notice to Proceed Date: July 2025 Substantial Completion: June 2026 Section 3 Requirements: It is preferred that the firm has experience providing services in the referenced scope of work as described The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.