Transformational Change in Progress

Construction of the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship began last spring and continued steadily through the summer and fall.

The community welcomed donors and supporters, including Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch ’72, to campus on June 18 for the official groundbreaking of the transformational new building that will bear their name: the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship. “The Lizzie,” as it is affectionately referred to on campus, will house the school’s innovative science, math, engineering, technology, entrepreneurship, and citizenship curriculum in one location and provide opportunities for community-building on the historic Quad. Site work for the 24,800-square-foot building, which is scheduled to open in fall 2023, began in the spring. The former Science Building was removed from June 7 through July 15, and over the summer, 2,000 cubic yards of dirt was removed from the Quad to allow for the drilling of 21 geothermal wells that will essentially heat and cool the new building.

“The geothermal wells are the primary heating and cooling source for the building, which shows the School’s commitment to sustainability,” said Chris Cowell, Chief Financial Officer & Business Manager. Additional sustainability features on the building will include solar panels on the roof, enhanced thermal glazed windows, enhanced insulation beyond code requirements, and a metal roof.

“This is the second geothermal project we’ve done on campus,” Cowell said, noting that 46 geothermal wells were installed beneath the Day Student Parking Lot to provide heating and cooling for the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.

The geothermal wells for “the Lizzie” required a 10,000-squarefoot well field. Workers removed material to a depth of five feet beneath the Quad and then restored and regraded the surface, adding an irrigation system, and a new pedestrian walkway that meanders through the trees and exposed rock outcroppings to the east of the new building, from Bourne Hall to Tisch Schoolhouse. All of this work was completed prior to the start of the Fall Term. This fall, the foundation footings were installed. By December 1, structural steel was erected, and in January, the roofing and exterior siding will be underway. “By January, we should be able to see a more noticeable frame of the building,” said Cowell, who conducts weekly construction meetings with the construction company, O&G Industries, the architects from Sasaki, the owner’s representative from Colliers, and new Director of Facilities Rob Daly. Windows and siding will be nearly complete by late February.

“There are a lot of moving parts,” Cowell said. The construction management project is being managed through a competitive bidding process. Some 295 contractors were invited to bid on the project. Of those, 48 were minority-owned or woman-owned businesses. This supports both O&G’s as well as the School’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

There is a lot of complexity to putting up a building in the middle of campus. As Cowell explained: “The majority of the work over the summer involved getting as much site work coordination done as possible before students returned because that was when the job site was at its largest. It was incredibly important to get that work done, restore the Quad, and scale back the construction zone inside a smaller fenced area to create a safe environment for students and faculty.”

Among the safety considerations for the site is that all construction vehicles must enter the campus from Route 47, behind Gunn House, with the assistance of a visual guide. “That means that every truck gets walked in from Route 47 now that school is in session,” Cowell said.

The project remains on schedule for substantial completion in the middle of August 2023. This will allow faculty to move in during the second half of August 2023, and for students to occupy the building in September. “This is a very timeline-driven project,” Cowell said.

At the groundbreaking in June, Head of School Peter Becker thanked the generous donors who have helped to make the new building possible, and all who have contributed to the project in many ways, including Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch ’72, Trustee Emerita Joan Noto P’97, Trustee Gretchen Farmer P’05, Nick Molnar ’72, Board Secretary Beth Glynn, Trustee Emeritus Steve Bent ’59,

Josh Feil ’98, Trustee Dick Tager ’56, former Trustee and past Finance Committee Chair Bill Tolley P’08 ’14, and Trustee Adam Gerry P’21. All invested early in the project and demonstrated that the new building had the full support of the Gunn community.

“I am so proud and beaming that I can sit here and think of my parents, Joan and Bob P’67 ’72, who started this journey many, many years ago for our family, and how proud they would be today, reflecting on the almost six decades that our family has been associated with this school, and thinking about again, where we are today,” said Tisch who, along with Lizzie, Becker, and Board Chair Patrick Dorton ’86, took turns wielding the ceremonial shovel, inscribed with the date, to officially break ground.

Becker thanked the Board, especially Dorton, Vice Chair Wanji Walcott P’19, Vice Chair Neil Townsend P’18 ’20, Trustee Jon Linen ’62, Board Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Ashleigh Fernandez, and Trustee and Investment Committee Chair Bill Bardel, “and every member of the Board, for embracing and championing and investing in the relaunch of The Frederick Gunn School and all that means. Without your support, your encouragement, your counsel, and your willingness to go for it, none of this would be possible,” he said.

To view photos of the construction progress, visit frederickgunn.org/ciac.