Scope of Work
Located just down the road from Cianbro’s corporate headquarters, Maine Central Institute (MCI) is a semi-private high school with a rich academic, athletic, and art history. Built in 1868, Founders Hall is the heart of the 23-acre campus. Cianbro modernized and preserved MCI's Founders Hall while maintaining the historic exterior; including bringing the building up to ADA standards. This project was especially meaningful, as many members of the project team (and generations before them) graduated from MCI.
Project Details
- Rebuilt the north and south stair halls with new steel stairs, new entrances, new interior doors and fire-rated corridors allowing egress
- Reconfigured all offices and public spaces in the first floor Core
- Restored Powers Hall and installed new theatrical lighting, sound system, audio visual equipment, including ability to record and stream events
- Refreshed all classrooms and refinished all wood floors and painted walls and ceilings
- Installed an elevator linking all floors including basement
- Added a new ADA-accessible entrance to the building at the southwest corner entry
- Added air-conditioning in the first floor Core and Powers Hall as well as code-mandated fresh air ventilation in all classrooms
- Replaced the steam heating system with hot water radiation featuring low-profile baseboard units.
- Added new and accessible restroom facilities on the first floor
- Added gender-neutral bathrooms, where previously there was only one bathroom in the entire building
- Restored the cupola, automated the ringing of the historic 1877 bell
- Upgraded electrical service and new energy-efficient lighting (LED)
- Upgraded fiber optic communications network
- Upgraded the fire protection with 100 percent sprinklers and new fire alarm system
Lean, Innovative and Unique Project Solutions
One of the primary reasons for the renovation was to ensure the building was brought up to ADA standards, which included an ADA-accessible entrance to the building and an elevator. The elevator was part of the original renovation design, but required it to be outside. The team worked to bring the elevator inside. The construction team also discovered that Founders Hall’s basement had potential issues with leaking, which entailed additional cleaning, excavating, and waterproofing work.
