New Beverly School, Flawed Design?

Bulletproof glass isnt bulletproof. What if an A-10 warthog attacked? I bet the Bulletproof Beverly School would be the Beverly House of Holes.
 
Guess they don't care to know that it's not bullet PROOF but bullet RESISTANT glass. It will withstand up to a certain caliber round, but that's about it. With the simplest being thick Lexan (can withstand at least a 22LR round). When I worked at a sign shop in FL, they would call it 'bulletproof' even though it could only withstand a small caliber round (at the thickness used).

I'm sure the parents would be happy to pay the additional costs associated with making ALL that glass 'bullet proof' in the school. How may millions would that have added to the cost??

It would be interesting if some non-Newtonian fluid could be made in a clear form and layered between two clear panes. I haven't looked to see if such a thing exists yet or not.
 
Beverly officials defend glass design feature of new middle school

Tax payers money should not be spent on design features for schools They should have 3 sets of plans small, medium and large The architectural ego trips that we are building today are ridiculous if a town or city want's something beyond the basic building. They should pay the entire cost themselves.
 
If the town had spent the additional massive amount of money to strengthen the walls & structure design to support the weight of BR glass + the additional massive cost of the actual BR glass panes ..... then they would all be complaining & crying about the costs = when their taxes go way, way up ....
 
New schools shouldn’t need bullet proof glass or intrusion detection systems. Save the money and put up some high quality Gun Free Zone Signs, that should do the trick.
 
upload_2018-3-17_12-36-30.jpeg
$197.5 million

After extensive community debate and a citizen review panel, a decision was reached to construct a replacement high school, with the final cost ultimately totaling $197.5 million, making it one of the most expensive high schools ever built in the state.

I'll bet they could learn just as well for one 10% of the cost
 
A replacement high school? Didn't they just spend over $100 million updating the old high school less than a decade ago?
 
This will make you laugh.

When our new school was in the design phase, our then-principal was the one making the decisions on stuff like what glass to use. She was a total moron in all sorts of ways, and was well on her way to getting fired for screwing the janitor.

So we had a faculty meeting. Teachers asked her about bulletproof glass. She told us that, of course, the glass was bulletproof. Me and my buddy, who also happens to have an LTC, looked at each other and started asking pointed questions designed to figure out what she really meant.

Turns out she thought “safety glass” and “bulletproof glass” are the same thing.
 
View attachment 226265
$197.5 million

After extensive community debate and a citizen review panel, a decision was reached to construct a replacement high school, with the final cost ultimately totaling $197.5 million, making it one of the most expensive high schools ever built in the state.

I'll bet they could learn just as well for one 10% of the cost

That's the old school... and it sucked.

Mike
 
Beverly officials defend glass design feature of new middle school

Tax payers money should not be spent on design features for schools They should have 3 sets of plans small, medium and large The architectural ego trips that we are building today are ridiculous if a town or city want's something beyond the basic building. They should pay the entire cost themselves.
Agreed. They are getting out of control with police stations, town halls, and fire stations too. Drive around some of the towns that still use the older buildings. Four brick walls. That is it. That is all that it is needed for public servants. Feds too. They just spent millions on the IRS building in Andover. Disgrace.
 
Jesus christ.... yeah these public buildings are f***ing out of control. Buy a K-mart or a Sears and put a school in there.... how tough would that be to build out? Or build according to some template. Basically at any school in this state there should be a building thats based off about a dozen different pre approved floor plans and that's it... if you dont pick one of the plans, no building for you, f*** off. Test a design prove it out, done. Would reduce up front costs of these things.

-Mike
 
Jesus christ.... yeah these public buildings are f***ing out of control. Buy a K-mart or a Sears and put a school in there.... how tough would that be to build out? Or build according to some template. Basically at any school in this state there should be a building thats based off about a dozen different pre approved floor plans and that's it... if you dont pick one of the plans, no building for you, f*** off. Test a design prove it out, done. Would reduce up front costs of these things.

-Mike

My first year at grad school the alma mater also operated a "satellite campus" in... Westborough? Northborough? Somewhere out that way. It was rented space in a generic "corporate campus" and that always had me thinking... why are we building architects' dreams (or trips, as the case may be), rather than just an ordinary corporate campus? Once I came to the conclusion that government entities should NEVER own real property, since they never take care of it (since it's sexier to build a bright, shiny new whatever than spend $$$ on maintenance), that became, "Why not simply LEASE corporate campus space?"
 
My first year at grad school the alma mater also operated a "satellite campus" in... Westborough? Northborough? Somewhere out that way. It was rented space in a generic "corporate campus" and that always had me thinking... why are we building architects' dreams (or trips, as the case may be), rather than just an ordinary corporate campus? Once I came to the conclusion that government entities should NEVER own real property, since they never take care of it (since it's sexier to build a bright, shiny new whatever than spend $$$ on maintenance), that became, "Why not simply LEASE corporate campus space?"
Because that requires LOGIC and critical thinking. Two skills completely lacking in school boards and administrators. No new building, no plaque at the entrance to be ignored for 50 years.
 
Jesus christ.... yeah these public buildings are f***ing out of control. Buy a K-mart or a Sears and put a school in there.... how tough would that be to build out? Or build according to some template. Basically at any school in this state there should be a building thats based off about a dozen different pre approved floor plans and that's it... if you dont pick one of the plans, no building for you, f*** off. Test a design prove it out, done. Would reduce up front costs of these things.

-Mike

Actually, that’s exactly how it works. There are approved menus of materials and floorplans, and if you deviate you don’t get state reimbursement.

The sad truth is that costs are already reduced. They’re still astronomical.

I’ve taught in three buildings now in the same town, and while a brand-new building is nice, old ones are fine too. I think technology makes a bigger difference than architecture.

But in my town, the new school came in on time, under budget, saves a fortune in energy costs, and replaces not one but two dilapidated buildings, which the town no longer has to pay for. So far, all the rosy projections about savings vs expenses have actually come true.

Knock on wood.
 
Beverly officials defend glass design feature of new middle school

Tax payers money should not be spent on design features for schools They should have 3 sets of plans small, medium and large The architectural ego trips that we are building today are ridiculous if a town or city want's something beyond the basic building. They should pay the entire cost themselves.

I've been saying this for years(even pitched it to a handful of state officials), there should be only a couple modular/scale-able designs state wide that towns can choose from - including different facades. Same with police/fire stations.
 
Making schools windows bulletproof is actually a bad idea, what if people get trapped inside during fire, you can't just throw a chair and smash out a bulletproof window.
 
. . . these public buildings . . . build according to some template. Basically at any school in this state there should be a building thats based off about a dozen different pre approved floor plans and that's it.
That's a great idea. Sort of like MA has done for a number of years with courthouses.
 
you can't shoot it out either

I guess that's the point of bulletproof windows, but in none of these school shootings were people inside the buildings shot through the windows by someone outside. The shooter was always inside the school and shooting people up close.
 
After so many years doesn't Lexan fog over and eventually become opague? Then you have to replace the windows every 10 years or so and at what cost.
 
Last edited:
Heaven forbid our schools don't resemble prisons. The building looks nice. I wish the college I attended had more glass in its antiquated buildings.
 
Something to ponder...........report from 10 news fla.

If it hadn't been for hurricane-proof windows, more students could be dead. Windows meant to protect a building from Mother Nature saved students from a sniper-style killer.

Investigators believe Nikolas Cruz went up to the third floor of the freshman building attempting to create a sniper's nest. Investigators say Cruz shot 16 rounds into a window in hopes of shooting down onto students fleeing the building in the courtyard.

That hurricane window, however, would not break. According to CBS News, investigators believe Cruz attempted to reload his gun but it got jammed.

Only then did Cruz allegedly drop the rifle, leaving 180 rounds of ammunition behind, to blend in with students and escape unnoticed.

This prompted 10News to see if schools in the Tampa Bay area have hurricane-proof windows. Here's the information we obtained:

Hillsborough County: Schools built after 1994 have hurricane-proof windows plus some others that have been renovated.

  • Pinellas County: Depends on when the school was built.
  • Pasco County: 27 of their schools used as hurricane shelters have hurricane-proof windows.
  • Manatee County: Depends on when the school was built.
  • Polk County: Doesn't reveal specific information regarding school safety measures.
10News requested this information from other school districts as well and will continue to ask questions and stay on top of this.

 
I've been saying this for years(even pitched it to a handful of state officials), there should be only a couple modular/scale-able designs state wide that towns can choose from - including different facades. Same with police/fire stations.

That's a great idea. Sort of like MA has done for a number of years with courthouses.

Again... this is exactly how the process works.

If you qualify for state reimbursement, you agree to use one of a number of architects with scalable designs. While you’re floating your bond or your override or whatever, the architect presents the designs, the town picks one, and the job goes out for bid contingent on funding.

When my town went through this rigamarole, the principal and town SBC got to decide on finishes, tile, windows, etc. Floor plan was set by a state formula guaranteeing each classroom would be used 80% of the time, which hadn’t been the case. No external athletic facilities were included; town chose to fund that separately, with its own override.

It STILL cost an arm and a leg. This is simply what things cost now.
 
Sheesh. Every student, one-at-a-time, should enter through a sally-port. It's the only way to keep the school safe. And we should have little "lockers" for each student. Just video-project the teacher onto their screen in their locker. That way, there is no interaction and no chance of harming each other OR bullying each other. You could save thousands by making the chairs actually just a toilet. No reason to get up.

It's for the children, ya'know.
 
Sheesh. Every student, one-at-a-time, should enter through a sally-port. It's the only way to keep the school safe. And we should have little "lockers" for each student. Just video-project the teacher onto their screen in their locker. That way, there is no interaction and no chance of harming each other OR bullying each other. You could save thousands by making the chairs actually just a toilet. No reason to get up.

It's for the children, ya'know.
Why not just do it as 'school from home'?? Since pretty much every house/home these days has at least one computer and high enough connection speed, you could simply do mass web conferences for the 'classes'. No need to do video for most of it, or at least not from the students end of things. As a side benefit, it would be easier for kids to take more advanced classes that would only be offered too far away to get to.
 
Back
Top Bottom