Spotlight on Learning Center Construction: Back-to-school season runs year-round for HBW

Recent projects have added even more experience to HBW’s education market sector. Read more about what makes these projects unique and how HBW has moved to the top of the class through scheduling and flexibility.

Building educational spaces uses many of the same core strengths as HBW’s retail, industrial, and office builds. Yet, a distinctly different approach is needed to deliver a purpose-built learning center that is functional, secure, and inspirational for a new generation. HBW’s combination of communication, precision scheduling, and flexibility has earned the company an A+ with clients.

Since 2019, HBW has completed 19 learning center projects, including daycares, preschools, and public and private schools with contract awards valued at $19M. Two builds for repeat clients showcase HBW in the education market:

The newest Hope Grows Child Development Center for infants through school-aged children is in Germantown, Maryland. It’s the third location built by HBW and occupies a 10,000+ square foot space that was previously a Gold’s Gym – a dramatic transformation. The project included a playground, diverse classrooms, age-appropriate restrooms, offices, storage, faculty areas, and a welcoming reception area, all featuring natural light.

Hope Grows Child Development Center: Germantown, MD

HBW constructed two new facilities for the Rivermont School, which specializes in educating students with autism and disabilities. The first location is in the Northern Neck of Virginia in Warsaw. The 2nd location is in Virginia Beach, VA.  While both are educational facilities, they provide distinct challenges.  For the Warsaw location, Rivermont’s goal was to repurpose an existing building in the township. This objective was met by preserving the space's character while creating classrooms, administration offices, & staff lounge areas.  The Virginia Beach location was a revamp of a tenant space within an office park.  The 15,000 square foot location created educational space, including a beautiful gymnasium & outdoor playground for the students.  Both projects were 100s of miles from our typical sub base, providing HBW with opportunities to build new subcontractor relationships.

The Rivermont School Facilities: Virginia Beach, VA & Warsaw, VA

Where Safety Meets Functionality

Although the construction of school walls and utilities may be similar to other tenant fit-outs, education construction starts with a different set of goals and several unique stakeholders, including school administrators, faculty, families, and students themselves. Their needs become part of the design and show up in the finishes.

There’s something special about installing brightly colored floor tiles and imagining kids crowding the hallways or putting up basketball hoops for a gym class to use. You can’t help but reminisce about your own school days during the build. But as kids, we didn’t consider safety or classroom design. Building schools now includes thinking about security and functionality.

Our learning center construction clients juggle decisions about how doors will lock, where to install security cameras, and whether kids want to sit on the floor or at desks. The builds can be complex, with different codes for schools and high occupancy. One day, you’re working on computer-controlled HVAC systems; the next, you’re watching plumbers install tiny toilets. And forget the neutral colors and muted decor you see in office builds. Today’s schools use vibrant color palettes, graphics, and hand-painted murals.

Unique Spaces, Unique Challenges

The biggest challenge to building educational spaces is scheduling—school calendars can’t change. There is no flexibility about opening, which demands a tremendous amount of communication and planning upfront and a commitment to hit that date. We add value to the construction process by solving problems that could impact the schedule so our clients don’t have to worry. That might mean researching alternative finishes and equipment, starting the procurement process as early as possible, pulling permits for playground equipment and consistently monitoring the overall construction schedule while providing updates to our clients.

We’re experienced at adapting on the fly. We understand & accept that our learning center clients will change their minds as they adapt to the student’s needs.  The construction managers & school administration team makes decisions about construction while considering lots of other factors and ideas. We create an environment where the client can be as involved as they want to be. And we bring in the right people with the right experience so any requested changes can be evaluated and worked into the schedule.

A Community Like No Other

Seeing your work being used as intended provides a unique reward, schools take that to the next level. It’s rewarding to see any finished space.  We at HBW are inspired  to see an education environment filled with the wonderment and joy of children.  It reminds us all of the importance of our work & fills us with a sense of gratitude to be a part of these educational teams.  Our goal is to continue to assist in the growth of these educational facilities.  

Out of the hundreds of projects we do each year, nothing quite compares to being invited to a ribbon-cutting and hearing how the school impacts that community. You realize how much the building itself means to the administrators, faculty, & community. Valuing education as we do here at HBW and knowing that children are using the space brings a different kind of joy to the work that we do. We are proud to be a partner with our education facility clients, & we are humbled by the extraordinary work they do on a daily basis. 

To see photos of the Hope Grows Child Development Center and the Rivermont School projects, visit https://hbwconstruction.com/education.