Swansboro High School Auditorium/Queens Creek Elementary School

Group III Mgt., Inc. simultaneously constructed a 16,567sf 10-classroom addition to the Queens Creek Elementary School, renovated a 1,200 student cafeteria, and constructed a 513-seat, 24,345 sf auditorium. This project was located in a coastal zone within 3/4 miles of the water.  All of the projects footings and utilities’ installations were affected by the high water tables.  The complexity of this work was compounded by the poor soils in the area. Classrooms have casework, sinks, visual display boards, and pull down projector screens. The building consisted of block construction with split-faced block veneer, lightweight metal trusses, and a shingled roof. The cafeteria rework consisted of new concrete floors, flooring, acoustical ceilings, plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

The auditorium building consisted of block construction with brick veneer, steel girders and bar joists supporting an EPDM roof.  Group III worked with the roofer to design a new roofing system to meet the necessary fire rating and wind uplift for a coastal wind zone. It also contained men and women’s gang toilets and the band and chorus departments. State of the art sound system and auditorium seating with an integrated lighting system were installed along with acoustical wall panels to control sound. Maple wood accents the proscenium and sides of the stage, as well as the top of the orchestra pit wall. Side and rear walls of the Auditorium were split-faced block.