The new Kingwood Middle School is now being “glassed in,” at least the portions that are not brick. The glass will seal the interior from the weather outside and let new sets of contractors begin their work. Those include interior trades such as electricians, plumbers, painters, drywall, flooring and ceiling specialists. Since my last update on November 10, the contractors have made much progress. According to Humble ISD, the new school should open next August.
Once contractors have sealed the structure, the schedule no longer depends on weather and they can move much more quickly.
Multiple trades can work simultaneously in different parts of the building.
Progress in Photos
Here are pictures taken on 12/5/2021 that show the current status.
Approximately half of the exterior that will receive glass is already glassed in.
One of the entries. Exterior on right has not yet begun.
New Kingwood Middle School from over Woodland Hills Drive. The old school, right, will be torn down after this school year finishes.
Brickwork and roofing on the western portion of the building are almost complete. Some scaffolding remains for stonemasons on the opposite side of the building.
Construction moved from west to east. The eastern portions of the exteriors and roofing (right) are less finished.
Looking north to south. Once the old school is demolished (top of frame), athletic fields will be re-established in that area along with a permanent detention pond.
Looking SE at new Kingwood Middle School construction
The southeastern portion of the new Kingwood Middle School on Cedar Knolls still has a long way to go.
To compare previous monthly updates, search for “Kingwood Middle School”.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20211205-DJI_0943.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-12-05 20:29:302021-12-05 20:29:34December Update: Kingwood Middle School Being “Glassed In”
Construction of the new Kingwood Middle School appears on schedule for opening with the next school year in 2022. Compared to my October update, no new major milestones have been reached. Everything just looks a little further along.
Kingwood Middle School Construction Sequencing
Construction started on the west and is moving toward the east. As subcontractors finish one phase such as foundations or structural , the next group picks up the baton and works on roofing, exterior walls, windows, etc.
The most visible change between October and November: progress on exterior walls and roofing.
I took all the pictures below on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
Looking W.Judging from the amount of erosion around the banks, the temporary detention pond appears to be getting a lot of use. This pond will be replaced with a larger permanent one after the old school is demolished to make room for it.Insulation, vapor barriers, brick and glass now surround more than half the site now. Roofing on the westernmost section looks complete. But many roofing materials remain stacked on other sections.Looking south with the old school visible in the top of the frame.Masons have completed the brickwork on large portions of the westernmost section. Shot taken from over Woodland Hills, looking east.Portions of the exterior at the west end still need work, but it’s more done than not.A view from the SE looking NW clearly shows the degree of finish evident in the left, middle and right sections.Low level shot shows middle section on left.
Next Steps for KMS
Next steps will be to dry-in the structure by completing the exterior walls, windows and roofs. The other trades will then start working on interior walls, electrical, wallboard, paint and flooring – all the things that could be destroyed by blowing rain.
I put two kids through the old Kingwood Middle School who became happy, healthy, successful adults. As I look at these pictures, fond memories of plays, recitals, teacher conferences, and athletic contests come to mind. Each month, as the old school comes closer to demolition, I become increasing nostalgic. We will soon witness the end of one era and the start of another in Kingwood.
And cross your fingers! Despite double the impervious cover now on the site, I have received no reports of flooding from neighbors.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/11/2021
1535 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0804.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-10 14:34:542021-11-10 14:34:57Kingwood Middle School: November Construction Update
Since my last update, Kingwood Middle School (KMS) reconstruction has progressed nicely despite heavy rains and a tropical storm in the last month. My rain gage, a few blocks away recorded more than 11 inches of rain in the last 30 days – almost triple the average for September.
My last update on August 20 showed that contractors had erected most of the structural steel, but large parts of superstructure were still open. Today, almost the entire roof is on and most of the structure has been walled or glassed in.
Photos Showing Status of KMS Reconstruction as of 10/3/21
Here are pictures of KMS reconstruction taken this afternoon with a drone.
KMS reconstruction as of 10.3.21. Looking SE from over Woodland Hills Blvd.
Looking N across roof of old KMS. Woodland Hills Blvd on left. Note how left (western) part of building is already bricked in. When new KMS is complete, the old one will be torn down.
Plans call for reconstructing the athletic fields on the site of the old school and building a permanent, larger detention pond where the circular drive in the foreground is.
It’s hard to tell from this angle, but temporary detention pond had barely emptied from yesterday’s deluge.Only one small section in lower left remains without roof. The new KMS will go up instead of out to create the needed capacity for studentsAs construction moves in phases from NW to SE, you see different degrees of finish.
Two new schools in the Kingwood area are building up, not out. Hopefully, this trend will, in a small way, reduce the percentage of impervious cover and create room for detention ponds to capture stormwater runoff.
Earlier this week, I photographed Kingwood Middle School and West Fork High School construction. As of mid-August, the structural steel work for both is almost complete.
Kingwood Middle School Replacement
The site looks crowded now, but when the new three story facility is complete, athletic fields and a giant detention pond will replace the old facility.
Looking west toward Woodland Hills Drive. KMS Construction as of mid-August 2021Looking east from over Woodland Hills This view looking north makes it easy to compare the height of the old and new buildings.The structural steel work has reached its eastern limit.
To see the progress, compare the pictures above to those in previous posts.
Several weeks ago, New Caney ISD named its third high school the West Fork High School. It too will be a three story structure, and is going up between Sorters-McClellan Road and US59 south of Kingwood Drive.
Looking NNE over the new campus toward Kingwood Medical Center. Insperity, and Kingwood Drive. US59 in upper right.Wider shot looking NNW toward the West Fork shows a large detention pond in the foreground is now grassed in. However, note sediment entering the pond through storm sewers that drain the site.Looking SW toward Sorters-McClellan Road and West Fork. River is mostly hidden behind trees. For reference, note Costco in upper left.
Note the football field and track taking shape in the left middle of the frame and the field house still going up next to it.
To see the progress, compare the pictures in these posts:
New Caney ISD expects to complete construction by the summer of 2022.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/20/2021
1452 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20210819-DJI_0387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-08-20 12:34:032021-08-20 12:34:08Education Going Higher; Construction Updates on Two New Schools
While far from complete, Humble ISD contractors have made steady progress with the construction of the new Kingwood Middle School (KMS), despite heavy and steady rains in May, June and July. Back in late March, I reported that steel was going up. Since then, the contractors have finished erecting steel on 80-90% of the new KMS building.
I took all the photos below on 7/10/2021.
Overview of campus, looking south. Woodland Hills Blvd on right. The white area in the foreground appears to be roofing.
The new KMS is being built on the site of the old athletic fields. When complete, the old school will be demolished and the athletic fields will be relocated there.
A prominent feature of the new construction is a temporary detention pond (foreground) to reduce flood risk for neighbors. Looking NNW. Note the concrete slab between the detention pond and the crane, where contractors have not yet started erecting steel.The new building will be much taller and “airier” than the old one which had solid brick walls over most of the exterior.Portions will be 3-stories tall, letting more students learn on a smaller footprint. Looking north across old KMS campus toward new construction shows the variation in the respective footprints.
When demolition of the old KMS has finished, the temporary detention pond will reportedly turn into a permanent one near the location of the semi-circular drop off zone above.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/20210710-DJI_0038.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-07-10 20:33:522021-07-10 20:33:56Contractors Almost Finished with Framing New KMS, Starting on Roof
In 2018, Humble ISD voters approved a $575 million bond referendum. One of the projects involves a complete rebuild of Kingwood Middle School with an open, airy feeling; much larger classrooms; and unlike the old school, a large detention pond. Three years later, it’s starting to look real. I took all photos below on March 21, 2021.
Framing of a new building with steel. This is when you can see plans on paper start to come to life for the first time.Looking west toward Woodland Hills Drive.Looking north toward the middle part of the new site. Construction is moving in this direction. Those green boxes are where concrete piers will eventually support steel columns that, in turn, support the weight of the building.At the southeast end of the site, a temporary detention pond holds runoff from the construction site. Eventually, contractors will replace it with a permanent detention pond farther to the west.This Google Earth photo taken months ago, shows the new middle school going in where the playing fields used to be north of the existing school. When the new building is complete, it will be torn down and the playing fields will be relocated where the existing building is now.
The new middle school’s design incorporates the concept of Kingwood’s “Livable Forest,” using ample amounts of natural light to combine interior and exterior spaces into a cohesive learning environment. There will be more space for collaboration, integrated physical activity and movement. Classrooms will be about 200 square feet larger. Car and bus drop-off and pick-up have also been optimized to relieve traffic on the neighboring streets.
Computer rendering of new school.
Target opening: start of the 2022 school year. So we still have another year of construction. But I’m sure the result will be well worth any inconvenience.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/22/2021
1301 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20210321-DJI_0356.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2021-03-22 13:09:142021-03-22 13:17:22Construction Update: Steel Going up for New Kingwood Middle School
Humble ISD recently started construction of the new Kingwood Middle School. The gorgeous, new upgrade to Kingwood’s oldest middle school should open in the 2022 academic year. The new building will occupy the northern half of the site where the athletic fields used to be. After contractors finish the new building, they will then demolish the old one and rebuild the athletic fields on the southern half of the site. See below.
Temporary detention pond in foreground will service the site during construction. The new school will be built behind the old one (left).
Temporary Detention Along Cedar Knolls
Thankfully, one of the first elements of the site is a substantial detention pond on the site of an old parking lot. This pond will be temporary.
Close up of the temporary detention pond on the site of the old parking lot.
The ISD will replace it with a permanent one between Pine Terrace and the new running track. Contractors will then fill the old pond in and pave it over to replace the parking lot.
Construction Sequencing
The following diagrams show how the school district intends to sequence the construction. Contractors are currently in Phase 1B. They have built the temporary detention pond, and cleared/graded the site of the new school. After the new school is built (1C), they will demo the old one and build a second detention pond facing Pine Terrace in Step 2A. The final step (2B): rebuilding the athletic fields, filling in the temporary detention pond and repaving the parking lot.
When complete, the main entry of the new middle school should look like this.
New Kingwood Middle School: a new showcase for Kingwood. Quite a step up from the fortress-like, windowless schools built back in the Seventies and Eighties.
This video of the October 22, 2020 Humble ISD board meeting contains a presentation on the features of the new school. It promises to be a showcase for all of Kingwood. The part of the video about the new school starts around three minutes in. They discuss construction phasing starting at 13:42.
Nervous Neighbors Can Sleep Easier
A few blocks north and west of here, a cluster of homes not far from North Woodland Hills Elementary flooded during Imelda last year. While that situation was likely due to inadequate storm sewer design, I’m sure KMS neighbors will sleep easier knowing that detention ponds are a major part of the new KMS project from the start. They can certainly take some of the pressure off overloaded storm sewers.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/23/2020with help from Chris Bloch
1182 Days since Hurricane Havey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201123-DJI_0312.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-11-23 18:39:552020-11-23 22:23:08Construction of New Kingwood Middle School Starts With Temporary Detention Pond
