Island Pacific Academy

Completed by Kiewit under a design-assist contract, the Island Pacific Academy was the first private school built in Kapolei. The $4.7 million, two-story, 28,000-square foot school accommodates pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students and provides a nearby alternative to the private schools in Honolulu.

During construction, a concrete drivers' strike brought about some unanticipated challenges. Kiewit maintained an aggressive schedule and worked through the challenges to finish the school two months ahead of schedule. Kiewit ultimately chose precast concrete to move the project forward. This enabled concrete components to be precast during the strike. When the strike ended, the foundation concrete was poured and crews erected the precast components.

Kiewit worked closely with the designer to price alternative construction plans that saved the client more than $1 million on the building itself. Changes were made to the building and roof configurations, allowing for more efficient use of exterior and interior space and materials. Instead of using one large chiller, the ventilating system was altered to include four air conditioning units hidden on the roof, minimizing the amount of ductwork required.