2016 | Old Dock Elementary School | Whiteville, NC

In January 2015, a destructive fire consumed the Old Dock Elementary School’s main building. On the day of the fire, Columbus County Schools commissioned Szostak Design to assist the County in rebuilding the School, the goal being to completed the project on the shortest timeline possible to minimize disruption to the School’s education program.

Our team prepared a detailed schematic plan for the new facility, a 20,000-square-foot, single-story building containing 11 classrooms, a media center and administrative offices. With the approval of the Board of Education, Szostak Design completed construction documents for the project in less than six weeks and administered a bid process that permitted construction in June 2015, less than six months after the January fire. This project also included extensive renovations to the School’s 10,000-square-foot gymnasium, a facility that serves a dual purpose as a community auditorium and emergency shelter.

Old Dock reopened to students at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

This was the second project our team has completed at Old Dock since 2012. The first project replaced a six-classroom wing of a wood-framed building that was beyond repair with 10,000 square feet of new space. The work was phased to allow the school to remain in operation during construction. This project also included demolition of the old wing, extensive site development, bus parking, staff and visitor parking, and covered connections to and between existing building.

Photography by Michael Mills