The new Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) is a hive of activity these days.
There are ladders, cords, materials and people everywhere in the building.
But underneath the chaos, you can see a building that is coming together.
Though it has been decided that students won't be moving into the school into the beginning of the new semester at the end of January in 2012, their timeline for construction remains unchanged, reported Don Lloyd, superintendent of administrative services with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division (GSCSD).
Just the occupancy date has changed, not the construction deadline. Substantial completion of the building, which is connected to the Humboldt Uniplex, is still scheduled for the end of November.
Though they had thought to move students into the building in November, the two divisions who govern HCI - the GSCSD and Horizon School Division - decided to hold off.
There are a number of items they want to complete before the students occupy the building, Lloyd told the Journal.
For instance, he said, they want to give the facility a thorough, general cleaning, finish the testing of all the school's systems, and get any construction deficiencies cleared up.
"We thought it would be more prudent to wait," Lloyd said, and have the students move in when it's completely ready to use.
The extra time before the move will also allow time to ensure the Carlton Trail Regional College wing of the building, which is the last to be completed, will be ready to go at the same time, Lloyd said.
"We're trying to make the transition as seamless as we can," he said.
Once construction is all done, they'll begin to move things like new furniture, instructional equipment and the new Smartboards and digital projectors into the building, Lloyd noted.
These are things, he said, "we don't like to have on site until construction is fully completed."
Staff will also have time to come in and get training in the new systems in the school, which includes a new phone system.
Getting them in there to learn things like that before the students get in will allow people to be more comfortable with the move, Lloyd believes.
New building tour
The building is definitely looking more like a school than a construction site, both inside and out, the Journal saw on a tour of the new facility last week.
Outside, not only is the exterior cladding complete, the parking lots have been paved and painted, and they are trying to get the landscaping done this fall to minimize dust in the spring, Lloyd noted.
Underground sprinklers have been installed, trees have been planted, and surface grading has occurred, with sod to go down very soon.
Inside, the trades are down to the finishing details - installing flooring, dropped ceilings, and other items. They're also busy testing mechanical systems.
And they are everywhere in the building.
In the hallways, lockers for students are in, and display cases are being constructed. Walls have been painted throughout the school.
Millwork is in place as well. In the home economics area, cupboards for five kitchens have been installed, and a wealth of millwork is in the textiles area as well, where sewing machines will one day sit.
Millwork and counters have also been installed in the science labs and prep areas in the science wing of the school, and in other classrooms, as well as in a tiered computer lab.
The gym is almost ready for the hardwood floor, which will be installed in a couple of weeks, after the area is cleaned, Lloyd explained. But things like basketball hoops, and the glass wall at one end of the gym are in place.
Lockers have been installed in what will one day be storage areas off the gym, and in dressing rooms and in the administration wing for teachers.
Tile was down or was being laid in parts of the school last week, and doors were being hung and finished.
The radiant panels that will heat some spaces in the school were pointed out in the practical arts area. Suspended from the ceiling, the panels are plain white and blend in with the other industrial components overhead. Those industrial components have all been painted white, and won't be covered by a dropped ceiling, Lloyd explained.
The radiant heat panels are part of their LEEDs certification for energy efficiency, Lloyd said.
All areas not heated by radiant heat panels are heated by radiant heat in the slab, he noted.
The main gathering area right inside the front doors is one of those areas with in-slab heating. This area, which is lit by natural light from clerestory windows, as well as lights from the high ceiling, seems larger now than it did a few months ago, before the floor was in place.
Crews were installing the track for the folding door to the stage area last week, as well as tile in front of the entrance to the library off this large area.
The walls at the back of the stage have not been painted yet, Lloyd pointed out, and won't be until the lights have been installed, to ensure they are a true black.
Behind the stage is a classroom area, as well as a media room, where scrolling messages for videocasts in the main gathering area will originate. This spot will also have the controls for the stage lights.
Whiteboards are stacked in one of the classrooms, and will be installed soon. Every classroom will have a wall of whiteboards and a Smartboard, Lloyd said.
Four modular classrooms located at the end of one wing are nearly complete.
There's not a lot that's visibly different between these "relocatable classrooms" and others in the building.
These four rooms are considered relocatable because they have their own systems, Lloyd explained - they are individually cooled and heated, and can basically just be "unplugged" from the main building and taken away. The only thing permanent is the hallway connecting them to the school.
But the only real way to tell the difference between these classrooms and others is with the floor - instead of concrete, the foundation is steel girder and piles, and the floor is wood, so there's a different sound when you step on it.
That's the only way you can tell these rooms are modular.
But these classrooms allow for future expansion, as four more can be added above, allowing for eight classrooms in two storeys.
