Consigli Construction finishes $21.5m LEED renovation project

Consigli Construction Co., Inc. has completed the gut renovation of the Phillips Academy Paresky Dining Commons. The project cost is $21.5 million. The team of Phillips Academy, Consigli and Schwartz/Silver Architects faced the challenge of preserving the building's historic features while incorporating sustainable upgrades allowing the facility to pursue LEED-certification for Commercial Interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council. The team took careful steps to preserve the building's original details, including Georgian style paneling, chandeliers and murals, which were all carefully protected throughout construction. The team also restored the Alabama limestone walls in the foyer and stairways. Numerous details were incorporated to enhance the dining experience. New centralized food preparation and service areas were created on both floors, featuring multiple serving stations and, on the first floor, a massive hearth oven. An extended-hours café was also added to give students late-night dining options. New space and light have been brought into the Dining Commons, with 15-ft. ceilings in the first-floor servery, and newly exposed windows at the back of the building. The building's LEED components include conventional recycled-content materials as well as a first-of-its-kind fume hood that saves energy due to its individually-controlled fan systems, a new standard in commercial kitchen efficiency. High-efficiency kitchen equipment abounds, and the team achieved a recycle/reuse rate of 98.2%, with items like 68,000 lbs. of granite that once formed the steps of the pre-renovation Commons becoming the curbing for the new student drop-off area.