For Third Consecutive Year, Atlanta-Based Architecture Firm Acquires Prestigious Project Achievement Award
September 21st, 2020
CDH Partners along with its collaborators are proud to announce that they have received the Project Achievement Award from Construction Management Association of America South Atlantic Chapter for their outstanding work on Ronald E. McNair Middle School. This is the third consecutive year that CDH Partners has received this award.
The Project Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement in construction management and projects promoting professionalism and excellence in the field. Winning projects are chosen for their proven success of safety management, quality, cost, and timeliness, and for their dedication to complexity, sustainability, creativity, and client satisfaction. Due to outstanding collaboration between DeKalb County Board of Education, CDH Partners, and Evergreen
Construction, McNair Middle School was built on time and within budget while keeping the highest standards in place.
The design revolves around the need to shift from a traditional teacher-centric classroom to a more student-focused setting, thus inspiring learning in a digital era. McNair Middle School puts the student center stage by learning through shapes, materials and colors that support collaboration and social skills – ultimately setting them up for future success as members of the community and workforce.
“The newest generation of students do not consume knowledge the same way as previous generations,” says Melissa Cantrell, President of CDH Partners. “In fact, the requisites of our future industries include strategic thinking, soft skills, creativity, and the ability to research information, synthesize it, and then apply it. Additionally, digital technology plays a large role in this generation’s daily routine when it comes to learning, connecting and communicating – putting technology at the forefront of our planning to create collaboration among students.”
Working closely with DeKalb County Board of Education, CDH helped create a 1,200-student school on a terraced topography that boasts great views and daylight. McNair Middle School features classroom wings structured around three clusters of classrooms, a breakout space, and a hands-on learning lab. Engagement and collaboration among students are encouraged through smaller labs within the Learning Commons, and Media Center.
CDH’s project design team included Melissa Cantrell, AIA, LEED AP, and Courtney Harwell, RID, IIDA. The facility was built under construction management by Tim Cory, Senior Project Manager, of Evergreen Construction. Construction began in November 2017 and the school opened in August 2019. Due to COVID-19, the annual CMAA South Atlantic Chapter Annual Awards Banquet was held virtually in July where the team accepted the Project Achievement Award.
For more information on the McNair Middle School project, click here.
