Bellows
BYLINE FALL 2017
P rojects
in
P rogress
St. Agnes Academy, Center for Student Life St. John’s School, Fine Arts - Multipurpose Hall
P roject M ilestone Ronald McDonald House Houston Groundbreaking Ceremony
E mployee S potlight Malcolm Kelley
U pcoming P roject River Oaks Baptist School Expansion
Ronald McDonald House Houston
Project in Progress St. Agnes Academy, Center for Student Life
Building For A Strong Community In 2010, St. Agnes purchased 18.7 acres of land at Bellaire and Fondren to develop the East Campus Athletics Complex. Because of this purchase and outpouring of philanthropic support, the athletics program flourished. Today, approximately half of St. Agnes’ students participate in a competitive sport. The girls are not only taking more opportunities for leadership and wellness, but they have a place to call “home.” Now, with the Student Life Center campaign, the Academy enters its boldest venture to date—a $26.5 million project utilizing land previously occupied by athletics on the main campus, and renovating existing space. The capital campaign will fund a necessary expansion and renovation that accommodates the needs and requests of the deserving St. Agnes women.
“Though we’ve outgrown our existing auditorium for its current purpose, we understand the value of preservation by utilizing existing space and materials in line with our mission. Transforming the current auditorium into our Student Commons is an exciting step in our big plan.” – Bridget Hennessey Head of Advancement, St. Agnes Academy
Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P. Hall Whether it’s celebrating Mass together, watching an Academy tradition, or cheering on performers—St. Agnes understands the importance of gathering as one and wants to offer this experience to all of our community. The new, 12,000-SF multipurpose assembly and performance hall (including backstage) will have 1,300 seats and a 3,500-SF Maureen O’Gara Hackett balcony that can double as a lecture hall and meeting space for up approximately 300 people. The space will feature a lovely lobby, named for the Sauer Family, with a curtainwall that follows the line of a curving grand stair giving the building a unique and visually appealing exterior.
Student Commons In 2011, students requested a student lounge and social area, a place where they can grab a cup of coffee and set up their laptop and be in community. This request initiated the transformation of the school’s existing 7,000-SF auditorium into a new student life center. The common area will stand at 8,500 SF. The current stage will be transformed into an enclosed small theater/theater classroom and actor’s lab with 120 seats. In addition, the spirit store will be relocated to the commons allowing a better space for sales of school supplies and St. Agnes Academy apparel.
Jamieson Family Dance Studio The Jamieson Family Dance Studio will be a multi-functional, rehearsal space for the thriving dance and growing wellness programs, offering much-needed space to serve all departments of the school. The 4,380-SF multipurpose dance studio will be able to occupy 87 dancers. The school’s current studio can occupy 10 dancers. The new space will transform into a full-time health and wellness studio to accommodate their growing program.
Additional Classrooms and Parking A new speech and debate space with a communications classroom, two practice rooms, and two additional practice rooms that will be shared with the vocal and instrumental programs will serve as a venue for Academy women involved in the communications and health programs. Finally, the addition of 125 new parking spaces has been completed in order to accommodate the 900+ student body.
Bellows Byline | Fall 2017
Project in Progress St. John’s School, Fine Arts - Multipurpose Hall
Thoughtful Growth St. John’s School continues to give life to its Campus Master Plan with the current Fine Arts - Multipurpose Hall project. The results of the rigorous Strategic Plan includes a desire to be responsive to the growth of Houston and to increase the St. John’s enrollment incrementally and thoughtfully. The plan calls for vigilant adherence to “non-negotiables” such as academic excellence and current faculty-student ratios. The Campus Master Plan is reflective of these priorities, the overall Strategic Plan, and the mission of St. John’s School. Construction of the new stand-alone building, which is located on the east end of the Molly Smith Courtyard by the Virginia Stuller Tatham Fine Arts Center on the Brown Campus, began in June 2017 and is slated for completion in spring 2018. This multipurpose hall will serve as a 6,800-SF fine arts rehearsal venue and gathering space available to the Lower and Middle School communities. The project also includes new speakers and wireless microphone setups in the adjacent courtyard for future outdoor productions.
Considering the location of this new building is landlocked and also affects the current student walkway, Bellows sat down with St. John’s School and formulated a re-routing plan. The end-product was to build a replica of their current walkway, approximately 60 feet away from the current path, that is covered and raised to protect the students, faculty, and staff from inclement weather. This was important so construction wouldn’t impede on the school’s pickup and drop off procedures and most importantly, it upholds the safety standards Bellows extends to every project for the benefit of our clients. The St. John’s Fine Arts Department Mission is “to provide an authentic arts experience, honoring the creative process while providing a foundation of solid technical training ― while having fun” and we are pleased to build facilities for their students to discover, grow, and express themselves freely.
Bellows Byline | Fall 2017
Project Milestone Ronald McDonald House Houston Groundbreaking Ceremony
Expanding For The Families Construction has started on Phase I and II of the renovation and 20-bedroom expansion to Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Houston’s 50-bedroom flagship facility, Holcombe House. Community and business leaders, including a representative for Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Representative Sarah Davis, celebrated the milestone at the groundbreaking ceremony held on September 12th at the construction site at Holcombe House. Supported by the $22.5 million Behind Every Door capital campaign, the three-phase renovation project will further RMH Houston’s mission to serve families of seriously ill children receiving treatment in the Texas Medical Center. “Our three-phase renovation and expansion of Holcombe House will allow us to better serve families in need, and most importantly, to serve 40% more families than before at our flagship facility,” said Rick Noriega, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Houston. “To date, Holcombe House operates consistently at full capacity, which means that, sadly, we are unable to provide services for 12-15 families in need each day. We are thrilled that this project will allow us to keep more families close to their sick child when it matters most.” The initial construction will include a new two-story tower containing 20 additional bedrooms, and update all critical infrastructure, including HVAC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Also currently underway, Phase II will include a revamp of the first floor and Atrium, substantial upgrades to the high-use kitchen and common areas with durable equipment and materials to sustain long-term use, the creation of an additional area dedicated to serving meals for families and their guests, and the reconfiguration of intake and resident services areas to better serve and accommodate new and current families. In 2015, RMH Houston launched the $22.5 million Behind Every Door capital campaign to fund the three-phase renovation project in order to address the following challenges and needs: medical advances and improved patient protocols have expanded, and will continue to expand pediatric care in the Texas Medical Center, creating an ever-growing need for rooms or home away from home; for 20 years the Holcombe House has seen high-volume use 24/7, 365 days each year, by almost 600 families a year, resulting in natural, but visible wear and tear; an evolving need for a reconfigured floor plan with open areas that foster community among resident families, as well as additional private, comfortable spaces to better facilitate the exchange of personal information.
“Thanks to generous support, funds raised to date for Behind Every Door exceed $18 million and we couldn’t be more thankful,” said Lesha Pulido Elsenbrook, president of the board of Ronald McDonald House Houston and Behind Every Door capital campaign chair. “This generosity allows us to make much needed upgrades to our flagship facility, improving functionality, comfort and energy efficiency, to better serve families needing a safe and loving home away from home.” Bellows Construction built the original Ronald McDonald Holcombe House in 2006. We are honored to return and to contribute to such a wonderful and worthy organization. Ronald McDonald House Houston Press Release September 2017 Rick Noriega, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Houston and Laura Bellows
Employee Spotlight Malcolm Kelley, General Superintendent Malcolm joined Bellows in 1989 and worked his way through the ranks as a Union ironworker, foreman, and finally general superintendent. Before his 28-year run at Bellows, Malcolm’s background in construction began when he graduated from high school and went to work for his dad who owned a heavy equipment company. Even though it was his dad’s company, Malcolm assures, “He didn’t show any favoritism. I advanced by working hard and learning as much as I could as fast as I could.” Malcolm got his big break when a bulldozer operator didn’t show up for work one day. He jumped at the opportunity to fill in and his experience escalated from there. His career at Bellows started with a phone call from his friend, Clem Torres, who worked for Bellows. Malcolm was currently working for himself but was looking to join a local general contractor. “There were only a handful of companies I wanted to work for and Bellows was one of them. They had a great reputation and I knew I’d enjoy working for a family-owned company given my background working for my dad. Bellows has always treated me well and it just feels like family.” One of Malcolm’s most impressive job responsibilities is installing the cranes at the jobsites. He recalls a job in Arkansas as one of his most memorable projects regarding crane installation and logistics. The project was in the center of the mall which meant bringing in the crane at night and removing it before daylight. They repeated this procedure every night until the job was complete. For Malcolm, this was just business as usual because he loves the complexities and challenges. The sense of pride he feels when a big project is complete makes his job satisfying and worthwhile. If Malcolm isn’t checking up on the jobsites, erecting cranes, or being asked to string up lights for a company event (thanks, Malcolm!), he is training horses on his five acres in Cleveland, Texas and spending time with his wife, Peggy, his son and daughter and their spouses, and his five grandchildren. Matthew and Kristie have two children, Madisyn and JY, and Lisa and Jason have three sons, Joshua, James, and Joseph.
Bellows Byline | Fall 2017
W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation P.O. Box 2132 | Houston, TX 77252-2132 713.680.2132 | 713.680.2614 Visit our website: www.wsbellows.com
Upcoming Project: River Oaks Baptist School Expansion
River Oaks Baptist School is gearing up to break ground on their new expansion project in 2018. The project encompasses a middle school building of approximately 100,000 square feet for grades 5-8, incorporating designs based on a 21st century learning curriculum rooted in STEAM education. Jackson & Ryan Architects created a design that includes learning communities; fine arts enhancements including a black box theater, ceramics room, and rooms for both choral and instrumental music; digital media room; tinker labs; roof terraces for outdoor education; and sustainability characteristics to enhance curricular objectives. A one-level underground parking garage will be located beneath the middle school building to provide approximately 160 spaces. The project also includes an Administration Building of approximately 15,000 square feet and an artificial turf practice field with a lacrosse wall. Bellows has previously performed extensive work for River Oaks Baptist that included construction of a new education building, library, commons building, and athletic center.