F & M College Science Center
The F&M Science Center is a 135,000 sf state of the art science and philosophy building. It is equipped with 2 entire floors of research and testing labs, including a large greenhouse area on the top floor that will aid in the testing of plants and animals. The basement of the building also houses birds, monkeys, rats and rodents that are used for testing purposes. There is another floor of the building equipped with classrooms that are dedicated to psychology.
The building was placed on the campus adjacent to other older, existing buildings. This meant there was limited space for construction and very tight access to the building. Getting material into the building was a challenge and deliveries had to be coordinated with other trades because there was only one entry point for loading material. Because of the close proximity to other buildings, the building was designed to appear like the older buildings around it.
- Client: F & M College Science Center
- Location: Lancaster, PA
- Project Type: Education
- Contractor: Turner Construction
Smucker Company employees self-performed 100% of the scope of work that Smucker was contracted to perform. This included metal framing, wood blocking, drywall, acoustical ceilings, wood ceilings and “Ecophon” ceilings. Most of the walls in the building were treated with a “level 5” finish that was used to enhance the appearance of the finished drywall wall. Smucker employees worked closely with the painter to ensure that the final product met the demands of the GC, architect and owner. Smucker employees also installed metal framing and wood blocking on the roof of the building to create a roof that “fit in” nicely with the architecture of the older buildings of the campus.
The building features a 3-story atrium accented by a “Rulon” wood slat panel ceiling. This ceiling is complete with metal and wood trim accents with open sides that create the appearance of a floating ceiling. Adjacent to this atrium is a large lecture hall. The lecture hall features layered soffits and reveal beads that enhance the lighting and acoustics of the room. In the classrooms, metal studs, drywall and beads were used to create window pockets that allowed the use of large windows where the window head was higher than the ceiling height. “Ecophon” acoustical ceiling panels were installed in the corridors for maximum noise control.
The F&M Science Center project did not get off to a good start…a couple months into the project, F&M College decided to change GC’s. Because of this, by the time Smucker Company started on the project, the project was already behind schedule. Turner Construction relied on Smucker Company to help get the project back on schedule and the project was completed on time and on budget. Smucker completed all the work safely with no lost time accidents.