Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE)

Summary

Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) served as program manager for the development of a new vocational school in Belleville, Illinois. KEG contracted architectural and MEP services and provided in house civil and structural design. The project consisted of renovating an existing, vacant 100,000 square foot facility into a vocational and alternative school called the Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE), located at 7645 Magna Drive in Belleville, Illinois.

The CAVE is a state-of-the-art facility which offers in-demand vocational programs so that students can take advanced courses beyond what are offered on the main campuses of Belleville East High School and Belleville West High School. Vocational programs currently being offered at The CAVE include culinary arts, welding, carpentry, automotive, machining and metal works. In the Fall of 2024, early childhood education, advanced technology training, healthcare, and certified nursing assistant training will be added to the curriculum. Areas are also being designated for career counseling, credentialing and certification plus testing as required for the field of endeavor.

The CAVE is also home to the district’s alternative education center and an electronic sports studio. Along with well over a dozen actual classrooms, The CAVE has a cafeteria, commons area for students to gather and relax, office space, a lobby with a 10-foot-high welded sculpture created by students as a focal point, computer lab, and conference room. Additionally, the building has a field house for many sports and activities, with indoor tennis courts, an indoor turf practice field, batting cages, a dance studio, and golf simulator. The facility brings together a diverse student population including students seeking a trade, at-risk students, athletes, and video game competitors.

Project

KEG served as Program Manager over the design and construction of the project. As such, KEG was responsible for taking the project from conceptual design to construction completion which including managing all design and contracting activities, working with school administration and teachers on programming for the individual spaces, controlling the schedule and budget, managing construction inspection, and shop drawing review. KEG used a hands-on collaborative approach to complete the design and construction activities in time for the 2022/2023 school year.

KEG engineers performed structural engineering and site design services for the project. The project consisted of remodeling within the existing building to create state-of-the-art classrooms, a culinary arts program facility, golf simulation, and an E-sports center; remodeling an existing field house to accommodate a turf baseball/football practice field, volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts,  and an industrial arts program including welding, carpentry, automotive, and machining and metal works; modifications to the main entry to accommodate a secure student entry; roof repairs and partial replacement; parking lot reconstruction; lighting, electrical, and mechanical plans; civil site design and construction plans and specifications, including a building and site demolition plan, utility plan, site plan including parking lot pavement and striping plan, curbing, sidewalks, ADA improvements, playground, and patio design; and coordination with the ROE, City, and local officials. Site Design included field surveying, grading and storm sewer plan preparation, specification development, and cost estimating.