Construction crews pour the concrete foundation for Floor 3 of Building 17. The new building, hosting new classrooms and additional state-of-the-art facilities, will replace all classrooms currently located in Mobile Learning Cottages. 
Construction crews prepare the foundation of Floor 3. The gym and classroom buildings can be seen in the distance. 
Principal Dr. Stephen Covert chats with construction crews.
Behind a large wooden fence and partially hidden from the view of students, construction for Pine View’s newest building has started to speed up. The 80,000-square-foot building will house over 40 classes and discontinue the use of portables.
This 29 million dollar endeavor began about two years ago, in October of 2018. Now working on the skeleton of the building, Tandem construction and Harvard Jolly architects are collaborating with staff to complete the 49- foot-tall building.
Along this journey, there were unique steps in the construction. To prevent disturbing campus life, Tandem built a service road. This makes it more efficient to transport building materials onto campus and maintain a stable learning environment for students. Usually, construction teams are unable to incorporate a service road in an active campus because there is no extra space available. However, due to Pine View’s large campus and open space, Tandem was able to minimize disturbances from the construction site.
Originally, the team faced issues working on soft soil, eventually deciding to use stone columns with vibroflotation technology. The technology compacts the soil, stabilizing the characteristically-marshy Florida land. Tandem elevated the ground level six or seven feet higher than before, using dirt. In all, 2,000 cubic yards of concrete and 87 tons of concrete beams and columns were used to steady the foundation. Along with these measures, hollow-core planks were placed throughout to secure the building.
“First the bones and next will be the guts,” Dr. Covert said.
Walking around campus, the building has a large presence from almost any place on campus. Construction crews are now laying the blocks for the second and third floor.
Visitors to campus can also see samples of the carpet and other construction materials in the front office.
The exterior of the building will have an all-grey brick surface and students will enter under a canopy. Once in the building, students will access the main lobby and walk across a floor with the Pine View emblem. On this first level, the new Pine View Archive room will hold records and achievements throughout the school’s history. Science classes, art, choir, and the college resource room will also be located in Building 17, among other academic classrooms. Carpets will be used throughout the building as the main flooring material.
Some of the leading members behind the construction project are Nathan Renner, Construction Manager with Tandem, Luke Shortall, Project superintendent for Tandem, and Steve Clark, Project Manager of Construction who works with Sarasota County Schools. As per district and state standards, the building follows all regulations and protocols ensuring the safety of students.
“This building is the safest place around,” Clark said.
Currently, students will first enter Building 17 for classes in January 2022. Until then, Tandem and Harvard Joly continue to efficiently complete the long-term construction project.