Discovery Building Construction Continues Despite Coronavirus
by Erkki Forster, Staff Writer
While much of the world has stopped in its tracks due to COVID-19, construction of the new Discovery Building at Samo continues. With new health protocols in place, the construction workers are working through the pandemic and are on track to finish the building by August 2021.
Since the first bit of concrete was poured for the foundation of the building last June, the Discovery Building has grown steadily, and as of mid-April 2020 about half of the building had been completed. The building, planned by HED and MRY Architects, will contain 38 classrooms, a 50 meter pool and parking spaces for approximately 288 cars. The classrooms will also be more spacious than the ones in the older buildings like the History Building, as explained by Catherine Baxter, who retired last year as the Samo Dean of Students and is now a project coordinator and consultant to the district.
“We moved to this site in 1913 when classes were less than 20. So if you have been in any classroom in the History building, it’s not big enough for 35 students,” Baxter said.
When school was closed on March 13 due to the pandemic, construction continued, as public works projects are considered essential. To ensure the safety of the workers, the construction company has installed hand sanitizers on all floors of the building and throughout the construction site. Employees are also not allowed to carpool to work and everyone is required to wear face coverings. Additionally, weekly safety meetings in small groups are held to share updates regarding COVID-19 and other safety issues.
The situation at Samo after the return of students will most likely look different from the years prior to the coronavirus. For instance, staggered schedules and smaller class sizes could be implemented. According to Samo Principal Antonio Shelton, as of now, no changes have been made to the plans of the building.
“We will seek guidance from the public health office as [changing the building plan] relates to starting school with students in classrooms,” Shelton said.
For the completion and timeline of the building, the current absence of students on campus is beneficial because it allows the contractor to perform certain tasks such as pulling fiber that could have only been done on weekends, before the current health situation. The entire science quad has also been dug up.
“As much as I hate not having students on campus, which I really do, it makes it easier for the contractors and we’re not behind on anything,” Baxter said.
The construction of the Discovery Building is part of a plan to improve and bring other Samo buildings to 21st Century standards by the Facility Improvement Project (FIP). The replacement of the traditional locks with electronic ones and the installment of security cameras, new fire alarms and a new PA system are all part of the FIP. Furthermore, the Discovery Building is the beginning of a large-scale plan to tear down and replace all the current buildings, except Barnum Hall and the Innovation and English Buildings. The next buildings built will be the Exploration Building and the Gold Gym.