October 12, 2012

Aviation High School's exterior curves like an airplane fuselage

Photo by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

Crews are installing CMU block and underlayment for the streamlined exterior skin of Raisbeck Aviation High School, which is under construction at the Museum of Flight's Airpark.

The skin will be a composite material to help the curved facade look like an airplane fuselage, reflecting the school's mission as a place for students to study science, technology, engineering and math with a focus on aviation.

Crews are also roughing in mechanical and electrical systems, and will next work on sheetrock and interior finishes.

The three-story building will have 86,000 gross square feet of space when it opens for the 2013-14 school year.

Porter Brothers Construction of Edgewood, the general contractor, is on schedule and within its $24.78 million budget. Major subcontractors are Totem Electric of Tacoma, Hawk Mechanical Contractors, Crescent Sheet Metal and Sessler Inc. (steel studs).

Bassetti Architects is the designer. Other consultants are PCS Structural Solutions, structural engineer; Hargis Engineers, mechanical and electrical engineer; KPFF Consulting Engineers, civil engineer; SiteWorkshop, landscape architect; GeoEngineers, geotechnical engineer; The Robinson Co., cost consultant; and JLR Design Group, kitchen design.

Aviation High is part of Highline Public Schools but is open to students from across the region.