Marymount Students Tour Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center
Design met construction when Marymount University Interior Design graduate students toured our Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center project site, led by alum and Vice President of Coakley Williams & Construction, Sherry Kissal, and Project Engineer, Andrew Moore.
Design Meets Construction
Sherry Kissal, Vice President, oversees all aspects of preconstruction services for the Interiors group at Coakley & Williams Construction. She graduated from Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design and worked as an Interior Designer and Director of Interior Architecture for WashingtonREIT and Ai before making the switch to construction.
Behind-the-Scenes
Sherry and the project operations team were able to provide a behind-the-scenes tour of under construction Design-Build project, Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center, to 25 Marymount University Interior Design graduate students. Helping her lead the tour was another Marymount University alum and frequent guest-speaker, Kelliann Caulfield, Assistant Project Manager, who graduated from the university in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design. Also joining the tour were other key members of the Arlington, Virginia project team including Bob Cashin, Senior Project Manager, and Andrew Moore, Project Engineer.
Exterior rendering of Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center (© Page / Architects)
Real World Applications
The Marymount University graduate students were curious to understand how interior design plays a role in construction and to understand more about sustainable construction and real world applications. While walking the 10.5 acre site, which sits directly adjacent to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, they were able to see firsthand how the design of the structure directly impacts how the construction is performed from the foundation systems to framing in steel.
Design Changes
The students asked the project team if there were any changes from the original building design. Bob stated that due to budget and construction restraints it was impossible for the project team to reach their building ambitions - the original plans had to be changed and some alternative materials were now being used to be able to reach the LEED Gold certification.
Animal-Friendly Construction
The students also got an exclusive first look at the "bird frit" glass that has to be used for the construction of the building due its close proximity to Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary. This special glass is harmless to birds that may accidentally fly towards the building which has large glass windows.
Interior rendering of Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center (© Page / Architects)
Facts About the New Aquatics & Fitness Center
What else were the interior design students surprised to learn? This project includes:
497 tons of steel (The heaviest joist weighs over 18 tons!)
160 tons of concrete
1,131 two-sided walls
382 metal decks
106 stadium stairs
711,000 gallon competition pool
148,000 gallon leisure pool
4,400 gallon whirlpool
233 parking spaces
5 stormwater management ponds
Words of Wisdom
Sherry had some advice for the Marymount students. "Career paths are never a straight line. I never imagined that I would graduate from Marymount University with a design degree and end up in construction. However, designers’ experience proves to be invaluable in construction. This knowledge, along with the project operations teams’ expertise, makes projects like the Design-Build Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center and many others, possible. It takes a large team of people with diverse backgrounds to collaborate and build these magnificent structures."
