system, so domestic hot and cold water. I think part of the driving force, in addition to code and LEED requirements, is the desire to collect data points. It lets campuses and facility staff understand usage, recognize potential for improvement, and identify trouble spots.
Cesar Rodriguez: Since districts, for the most part, are dealing with public funding, they’ re emphasizing going toward life safety systems first— the fire alarm sprinklers, entry points, or entry points for safety purposes— with the safety of the staff and student body in mind. Districts are also thinking more long-term now. When they have the opportunity to modernize, they’ re asking,“ How will these systems perform over the next 20, 30, 40 years?” It’ s not just how they meet code today; rather, it’ s extra emphasis on lifecycle cost projections. This doesn’ t just mean energy efficiency— it’ s also decarbonization, aiming to reduce our reliance on natural gas.
What are some common blind spots that can create cost or scheduling issues down the line during K-12 projects? How can project teams become aware of and address those blind spots?
Amanda Miranda: Specifically for plumbing, we’ re often chasing how the architect lays things out. This is less of a blind spot and more of a challenge: sometimes external sources introduce changes and requirements. A district might not want something in a certain spot, or it might need to adjust, and we’ re chasing all that down. On design-build projects, we often face design requests from contractors that require us to adjust the design to their priorities. Generally speaking, we have to be ready and flexible. I think that’ s an iterative part of the design process and being open to that is key.
with existing conditions, and deciding when to accept hidden conditions that could be a risk factor.
Phase projects on occupied campuses add another layer of complexity to your work. What does effective project phasing look like, and how do you coordinate with the district to keep learning uninterrupted?
Amanda Miranda: When it comes to this, the only system that applies to us, in my experience, is the gas services that are on campus. But as I mentioned earlier, we’ re kind of moving away from that, so it’ s a lot less applicable. With project phasing and keeping service uninterrupted, I feel like we aren’ t as in the lead, but we have to work with the architect to make sure that they have the utilities required and such. That entails a mix of us working with the architect and civil to ensure things get where they need to be and are appropriately sized.
Cesar Rodriguez: Good phasing early and coordination to clearly identify the construction zones are critical. So, from that standpoint, we work closely with district facilities, staff, and administrators to make sure that we align with staff and student body activities, and, of course, the school calendar. This involves taking advantage of summer breaks and avoiding testing periods and other key academic milestones. Every phase has to stand on its own, so thoughtfulness and collaboration with the architect and other engineers are crucial to clearly delineating and
Cesar Rodriguez: In my experience, the two biggest blind spots or sources of issues down the road have been underestimating conditions, especially when modernizing existing buildings or retrofitting air conditioning in cases where only heating existed in the past. As-builts are often outdated or inaccurate, and with fire alarm systems, we’ ve encountered undocumented conditions surfacing during construction when elements are exposed, which can cause friction with districts.
Other scheduling issues can include late coordination with the DSA, the authority having jurisdiction, or the local power utility. Phasing is also a risk area, specifically when it comes to implementing temporary life safety measures in construction areas that have been isolated to keep the campus safe.
To address these blind spots, early, intentional coordination and site walks with the full design team and representatives for the district owners enable us to fully discuss any concerns. It also allows us to take full ownership of the approach when it comes to coordinating utilities, dealing