Life Safety at Principia College
Helmkamp has been awarded the contract for life safety work at Anderson residence hall at Principia College in Elsah, IL. Design work is currently proceeding for life safety work on two more dormitories at Principia College. These projects will represent the tenth through twelfth such projects Helmkamp has undertaken for the college. The total work completed to date totals $6.5 million.
The completed buildings are Brooks House, Williams Cottage, Howard House, Buck House, Sylvester House, Clara McNabb House and Rackham Court. Lowery House is currently being completed and Anderson House will begin this December.
The state of Illinois has mandated standards for dormitory life safety systems, which includes installing sprinkler systems within dormitories. The Principia College dormitories reflect a variety of design and construction techniques. Some of them, such as Rackham House, pictured in this newsletter, were designed by distinguished architect Bernard Maybeck in the 1930s and are internationally recognized for their design and construction.
Others are buildings from the 1960s. But all present unique design and construction challenges in installing state-of-the-art sprinkler systems and reconfiguring certain aspects of the buildings to meet the new standards. A combination of wet, dry and anti-freeze sprinkler systems have been installed in the dorms.
In addition to the sprinkler work, each dormitory has had its fire alarm system and devices upgraded to include a voice evacuation system. This upgrade enables the college to (from a single location) audibly give directions to students and staff in the dormitories through the campus-wide fire alarm system in the event of an emergency. Many of the dormitories are having their data/communication conduit and wiring upgraded as well.
Also being accomplished along with the life safety work is the installation of electronic security access hardware on the exterior doors to secure the building. To facilitate the Office of Student Life’s desire to separate men and women by floors and wings, this same security hardware is being installed on some interior doors as well.
Superintendent Rick Verdun and Project Manager Jeremy Sneddon coordinate closely with campus architect Scott Gerber to make sure that all aspects of these projects run smoothly. When you’re sawing concrete floors to provide access for sprinklers and rerouting an older building’s fire alarm and data wiring and with only a few weeks until students return, planning and quick reaction to issues which arise are required.
“The new technologies such as the voice alarm systems are amazing. This has been a fantastic opportunity to cooperate with the staff at the Principia and with our subcontractors. We learn better ways to do things on every project,” Jeremy said.
