Building back after a natural disaster.
Chalmette Elementary School was built on the site of the original elementary school that served the Chalmette area prior to Hurricane Katrina. This new 117,765 square foot facility consisted of 44 classrooms, a cafeteria, library, auditorium, band room, gymnasium, office areas and a teacher resource center.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed the original school and due to this history, the new school was modified to withstand another hurricane. These changes created many challenges during construction, primarily with the type of construction and the completion time. The building was designed with all walls being glazed colored concrete masonry units (CMU), exterior walls made of metal panels and brick veneer, the main floor areas were terrazzo and the exterior doors were fiberglass reinforced doors. The structure of the building was designed to withstand 130 mile per hour winds. All of these factors presented challenges to the timely completion of the project.
Square Footage
117,765 SF
Completion
17 months (2010)
Owner
St. Bernard Parish Public School Board
Architect
Project Location
Chalmette, LA
It is a pleasure to provide DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. a letter of recommendation for an Excellence in Construction award for the completion of the new Chalmette Elementary School. I would like to commend you and your team for the service, effort and professionalism you provided. From the bidding and contract negotiations all the way through final inspections, the DonahueFavret team was engaged, thoughtful and easy to work with.
Albert Carey, Project Manager
St Bernard Parish School Board
