Every construction project demands collaboration, but the new $178 million, 1,800-student Union City High School in Union City, N.J., offers an elaborate example. It was among many notable aspects – such as a three-acre artificial turf field atop the 360,000-sq-ft structure’s roof – earning it recognition as the region’s top K-12 Education project.
The partnership paired the school district, which needed to replace two aging high schools, with a huge supporting cast: the state, which chose the effort as a high-profile but much scrutinized “demonstration project”; the city, which wanted a facility to also serve local residents; and community members eager to preserve the historic character of Roosevelt Stadium, the Works Progress Administration monument the school replaced.