Phased Perfection: Creating a Campus Aligned with Educational Values

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Project Overview: Founded in 1959, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School has remained true to its mission of caring for and educating children, thus becoming one of the nation’s largest Episcopal schools. Strategic plans were laid to transform the existing disjointed buildings into a true campus experience. After an extensive fundraising campaign, Hodges & Hicks was hired to begin the first phase – a new STEM Building that would be the front door to the campus and lay the foundation for a long-term partnership. Three new buildings and almost a decade later, the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School remains at the forefront of independent schools with a thriving campus and vibrant community of students.

Highlights:

• All three buildings were a part of an overall master plan to create a unified campus community.
• Detailed site logistics plans mitigated safety risks, limited interruptions to campus operations and carpool activities while school was in session.
• Deep collaboration between Hodges & Hicks and the various architects at each phase ensured the use of every inch of space and wise campus planning.
• Strategic guidance during preconstruction through each project phase allowed fundraising dollars to be used in the most effective manner to achieve the School’s overall mission.
• Proactive management through challenging market dynamics of COVID limited supply chain issues that were plaguing the industry during several phases of construction.
• Phases incorporated sustainable practices when considering materials choices and systems and equipment to ensure the life and durability of the buildings.
• Completion of the STEM Building was a catalyst for other independent school campuses as this was one of the first of its to be delivered in metro Atlanta.

Results: : Construction of the three new buildings supported Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School’s vision to develop a unified campus community and deliver the best educational experience possible, keeping them at the forefront of Episcopal Schools in the nation. Through consistent delivery of each new building, Hodges & Hicks built trust and demonstrated a superior level of care for the outcomes for the client.

Project Scope

Phased expansions and renovations to accommodate master plan over period of 9 years.

• Phase 1: May 2014 – August 2015. New state-of-the-art 65,000 SF STEM Building.
• Phase 2: May 2020 – August 2020. New 60,000 SF Upper School Humanities Building, two additional building renovations of Groesbeck and existing lower school.
• Phase 3: May 2021 – August 2022. Construction of 45,000 SF Lower School Building, new quad connecting campus and new roundabout.

We have had the pleasure of working with Hodges and Hicks for the last ten years – building three academic buildings with a total of 160,000 sq. ft. We keep coming back to Hodges and Hicks because of their unrivaled commitment to quality, outstanding communication, and customer service, fiscal management, and impeccable integrity as an organization. Our work together has been a true partnership!