Ridgewood Park
Elementary School
Orange County Public Schools
Orlando, Florida

Ridgewood Park Elementary involved demolition and replacement of an existing K-6 school and new construction of a 60,000 sf classroom building and 33,000 sf administrative facility. A temporary campus was required during construction, and that meant creation of portables – in fact, an extensive portable city, with a kitchen, cafeteria, and media center, as well as classrooms. Barton Malow ran utility lines and services early on, and later added sidewalks, ramps, stairs, awnings, and electrical work, including fire alarm circuitry.

The team chose the tilt-up construction technique for this project. That involved casting concrete wall panels on a flat, horizontal surface, directly on site, tilting them into place, and connecting them to roof and floor systems. It offered remarkable benefits: a shortened construction schedule, durability superior to masonry and wood-framed building (important in a hurricane-prone climate), and lowered life-cycle costs.