Kofa High School Renovation Underway in Yuma, Ariz

YUMA, Ariz. - Jan. 26, 2018 - PRLog -- McCarthy Building Companies has broken ground on the $12 million renovation of Kofa High School, located at 3100 S. Avenue A in Yuma, Ariz., for the Yuma Union High School District. The project includes construction of two new buildings and the remodel of four existing facilities to create a cohesive high school campus serving over 2,000 students in grades 9-12. McCarthy is partnering with DLR Group's design team and Arcadis, which is acting as the owner's representative, to deliver the campus renovation by December 2018.

A new 19,000-square-foot classroom building will feature 21^st century academic and lab spaces with updated technology and flexible features, including collaborative space. According to Kofa High School Principal Mike Sharp, "The flexibility of our new classrooms will allow students and teachers opportunities to explore creative and versatile instructional strategies within a collaborative and independent learning environment not easily afforded through traditional classrooms."

At the center of campus is the renovated student hub, which will house the cafeteria, new culinary arts classroom, campus bookstore, student store and a restaurant with outdoor seating. In addition, a new auxiliary gymnasium will provide modern space for athletics and physical education activities. The design adds a new active zone south of the hub to create synergies between Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses such as personal training, athletics, nursing, physical education and health classes. Spaces in the active zone will serve dual purposes. For instance, the wrestling room also will be used for police take-down training; the strength training area will be utilized by students completing the physical therapy certification program; and the nursing program will share spaces with the EMT certification program.

"Working with the Yuma community to help make their vision for the renovations at Kofa high school a reality has been rewarding for our design and construction team," said David Peterson, Education Services leader for McCarthy Building Companies. "The long-awaited project is bringing new and improved amenities to the students, teachers and staff at Kofa and will have a very positive impact on the learning environment. We're proud to be part of the project."

Additional renovations include the kitchen/cafeteria, a few classrooms, and a new training lab. "The heart of the campus, figuratively and literally, is the student hub. We've incorporated socializing, dining, student laptop support, and a student store as a focal point on campus," said DLR Group Principal Pam Loeffelman, FAIA. "Our design also centrally locates athletics to consolidate the campus footprint and reduce travel time from one end of the site to the other."

Kofa High School will remain in operation throughout the phased construction process. This project was funded by a 2015 voter approved bond election.

About McCarthy Building Companies

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (http://www.mccarthy.com/) is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that span all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 20th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2017). With approximately 1,700 salaried employees and offices in St. Louis, Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Portage, Ind.; Kansas City, Kan.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Dallas, Houston; Albuquerque; and San Diego, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned (http://www.mccarthy.com/about/employee-owners/). More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mccarthybuilding), Twitter (https://twitter.com/McCarthyBuild), LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/119184?trk=tyah), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mccarthybuild/) and Google+ (http://www.google.com/+MccarthyBuilding).

About DLR Group

DLR Group (http://www.dlrgroup.com/) is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This promise inspires sustainable design for a diverse group of public and private sector clients; local communities; and our planet. DLR Group is 100 percent employee-owned and fully supports the initiatives and goals of the 2030 Challenge, and is an initial signatory to the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

About Arcadis

Arcadis is the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services, we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomesthroughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 27,000 people active in over 70 countries that generate more than $3.5 billion in revenues. Visit Arcadis.com (https://www.arcadis.com/en/united-states/).