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P R O F I L E
Sandy Hook rises again Devastated by 2012 shooting, Newtown community eager for new school after shooting but still wounded and weary of the spotlight.
By Richard Massey Correspondent
Partners. “It’s assumed that this is a universal ‘new beginning’ for the community – which isn’t a feel- ing that is embraced by all. For some, the project is a painful reminder. Therefore, we had to not make assumptions as much as possible, listen a lot, and focus all our efforts on the next generations of chil- dren who will go to this school. “Discussions were often on how children will best be inspired in the new school, what will nurture them and give them a sense of safety and security, engage their imagination and connect them to the incredible natural environment within which the school site exists – rich with biodiversity, wetlands, and forested areas.” The project was necessitated by a crime that shocked the nation. On Dec. 12, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza stormed the Sandy Hook school and fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff. Before arriving at the school, Lanza shot and killed his mother. As first responders arrived, Lanza commit- ted suicide by shooting himself in the head. The Sandy Hook project manager is Diversified Project Management, but the entire program is See SANDY HOOK, page 12
A new Sandy Hook elementary school is under construction in Newtown, Connecticut, and architecture firm Svigals + Partners LLP (New Ha- ven, CT) took the pulse of the community before designing the structure that, for many, represents a new beginning for the town that endured a sense- less tragedy. Funded through a $50 million grant from the state of Connecticut, the Sandy Hook project started in September 2013, when Svigals + Partners and builder Consigli Construction Co. Inc. were chosen. Shortly thereafter, the old 1956 school was demol- ished. Construction began in spring 2015 and is ex- pected to be complete and in use for the 2016-2017 school year. Svigals + Partners, with 20 years of experience in school construction and consensus building, was up for the task. “We came in with the attitude that we didn’t know what was needed, because truly we didn’t,” says Ju- lia McFadden, an associate principal with Svigals +
THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 4, 2016, ISSUE 1133
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