Offsite Modular Construction Designs, Builds, and Installs 12 New Classrooms for Westlake Academy in 100 Days

Challenge: 

Westlake Academy began using portable classroom units to accommodate its growing student population. As the buildings began to deteriorate and exceed their useful life, the school administration hoped not only to enhance the educational experience for students but also to improve the work environment for staff, thereby attracting new talent.

Adding to the challenge, due to its high enrollment that required full utilization of instructional space, the district was up against an exceptionally tight timeline. The entire process, including design, demolition, and construction, had to be completed in six months, before the start of a new school year – any solution that took classrooms out of commission during the school year was a dealbreaker. Given these timing challenges, as well as the concerns of safety and campus disruption that accompany a traditional construction approach, the district assumed its only option was bringing in another set of temporary portable-style structures to replace the old ones. Certainly, no site-built approach could demolish and remove the existing units and construct new ones between late June and early August – in fact, traditional construction of such a project could be expected to take a year or longer.

Objective: 

Once they learned that a permanent, high-quality solution could be delivered within their challenging timeline, Westlake Academy partnered with Offsite Modular Construction to construct, deliver, and install 12 state-of-the-art modern classrooms within about 100 days, ensuring a safe, beautiful, and technologically advanced learning environment for students and staff.

Solution: 

OMC utilized modular construction techniques to manufacture two brand new permanent 6,400-square-foot modular buildings, each housing six classrooms. The process included innovative design features for safety, durability, environmental sustainability, integrated technology enhancements, and health-oriented construction.

Results: 

In the span of three installation days, the Westlake Academy campus expanded by nearly 13,000 feet… OMC began construction in its factory in April and students had their first classes in the new buildings in August, significantly faster than any traditional construction method could have delivered a project of this scale. The new classrooms included advanced features like teacher-controlled dimmable LED lighting, natural light windows, separate HVAC systems with HEPA 15 air filtration, and enhanced security measures. This achievement not only met the school’s immediate needs but also demonstrated the efficiency, quality, and adaptability of modular construction in the education sector. The project set a new benchmark for school construction timelines while receiving rave reviews from the local community, including Westlake Mayor Sean Kilbride, who lauded the beauty and quality of the new structures and said “We’re quite certain our students will be as happy with the results as we are.”