Clancy & Theys Construction Company provided general contracting through the completion of this project. The Vernon Malone College & Career Academy is an innovative high school partnership between Wake County, Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), and Wake Tech Community College (WTCC) to offer students dual enrollment opportunities in technical programs that include comprehensive academic programs to meet all the WCPSS graduation requirements and University of North Carolina (UNC) System entrance requirements.
The challenge was to transform the 101,000 SF Coca-Cola warehouse built in the 1950s into a career and technical high school with learning spaces—laboratories, classrooms—and programming in the areas of agriculture, business and information technology, career development, health occupations, family and consumer sciences, marketing, technology, and trade and industry. Specifically, the facility houses learning labs in welding, automotive repair, body repair and painting, plumbing, cosmetology, healthcare, and HVAC repair. The building also included student support, administration, dining, and multi-purpose areas.
The main building block walls included brick veneer, concrete floors, and a low-slope roof. The exterior wall upgrades include insulation and structural upgrades. The interior of the building was gutted except for load-bearing walls, columns, and the roof structure. We encountered under-slab obstacles, including pile caps, grade beams, rock, decayed footings, and thickened slabs that reached depths of over 18 inches at one point. Cost and time impacts were anticipated, planned, and quickly overcome. Site improvements included grading, asphalt, concrete, utilities, landscaping, and site amenities.
