After a tornado destroyed most of Lake High School in June 2010, school officials were determined to open their new school by fall 2012 —  an almost unheard-of fast-track schedule.

To achieve that goal, Lake High School was constructed as a design/build project, permitted under Ohio’s urgent necessity provision for construction in an emergency. School officials wanted the new high school ready in just 15 months.

Rudolph Libbe Inc.’s project team worked closely with school officials, making decisions while phases of work were still being budgeted. Three-dimensional CAD models allowed the owner to visualize design concepts, evaluate value-engineering ideas and make decisions swiftly.

In May 2012, school officials began moving into their new building — an energy-efficient modern high school with natural light and inviting spaces. Under a typical construction management project delivery system, they would have waited three years or longer.

The project made history as the first public high school in Ohio to be constructed under the design/build delivery method.

Many factors played a part in our building being finished just 15 short months after construction began for us. Attention to detail by the preconstruction staff, efficient and outstanding workmanship on the part of your workers, an ability to work cohesively with the subcontractors, and your management team’s ability to grasp our urgency are some of the important pieces of the puzzle. There were few if any surprises for our building team, and it was also comforting for me to know that I could call, text or email any member of your team at any time of the day or night, and a response would be forthcoming quickly.

Jim Witt, Superintendent
Lake Local Schools

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