News
NEWS
Curtain rises on new Dahod Center at Pike
September 04, 2008
In what was one of the most momentous first days of school in its eighty-three-year history, The Pike School—all 441 students and 100 plus faculty and staff, Trustees, current and past parents, and alumni--gathered together in its newly completed Dahod Center for Community and Creative Learning to celebrate its grand opening on September 3, 2008. (See photos of the event).
In keeping with Pike’s longstanding commitments to environmental responsibility and educational excellence, the new building, which was built over a period of fourteen months (see photos of the construction process), incorporates “green” design—reducing the use of non-renewable resources and minimizing impact on the environment—and adds thousands of square feet of new art and music classrooms, community and gallery areas, learning services space, and a stunning theater with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and stage-production facilities that will be available as a new performance venue to the greater community.
Attention to green design has characterized the new construction from the very start, even as the site was being cleared. Reuse of the site for construction, erosion control during construction, stormwater design, and reduction of light pollution by using full cut-off lights outside contributed to that end.
Choice of materials and resources further contributes to sustainability, from reuse of existing concrete pavers and recycling of gypsum board, steel, and acoustic ceiling tile, to the use of low-emittance glass in all new windows and insulation of the walls beyond the minimum code requirements.
The new building will also make use of dual-flush toilets and low-flow aerators on faucets to reduce water use; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment that uses ozone-friendly hydrofluorocarbons that contain no chlorine; energy recovery wheels that reuse heat energy exhausted from the building; an occupancy controlled ventilation system in the theater, which automatically cuts energy use when no one is present; and energy efficient lights.
Designed by the Boston architectural firm cbt and built by Erland Construction, Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, the new Dahod Center for Community and Creative Learning imparts a striking, modern façade to The Pike School, integrating the Upper School’s Farnsworth Building with the Middle School’s Horne Building and the Lower School’s Grieco Building. The elegance and impressiveness of The Pike School’s appearance now reflects the quality of the education that takes place within.
Fund raising for the $11.5 million addition and renovation continues at a brisk pace and has already reached $7.7 million. A seven-figure lead gift, the largest single gift ever given to Pike, was generously donated by the Dahod family, for whom the building is named. Ashraf and Shamim Dahod have two daughters who were graduated from The Pike School and, in fact, moved to Andover in 1991 so their eldest could attend Pike. Shamim, a physician with her own practice in Chelmsford, has been a trustee at Pike for several years and sits on the board of directors at Boston University Medical School and the Dana Farber Breast Cancer Foundation. Ashraf, who came to the United States in 1971 from India, has started and sold several high-tech companies since his graduation from the University of Michigan and Stanford. Among their many philanthropic projects, the Dahods funded and oversaw the building of the $15 million Dawoodi Bohra mosque off Interstate 495 in Billerica, which opened in 2004.
“We will continue our fund raising until all the money has been raised for the new Center,” says Tara McCabe, Pike’s director of the Office of Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications. “Thanks to the long-term commitments of dedicated families like the Dahods, Pike has never had any debts and has always raised necessary funds. This project will be no different.”
Head of School John “Muddy” Waters looks forward to the changes the new facility will bring to Pike. “These fabulous new spaces give us the opportunity to expand our arts curriculum by adding such things as pottery and enhanced photography courses, to stage more technically sophisticated performances in music and drama, enhance our learning services, better accommodate community gatherings, and provide yearlong exhibition space for student and faculty artwork. And those are only the advantages we can foresee. It will be especially exciting to discover the additional, unexpected benefits.”
Opening Day events included a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Dahod family, Pike Trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff. Following the ribbon-cutting, the original celebrants were joined in the new Center's theater by Pike parents for remarks by Head of School John "Muddy" Waters, Chair of Pike's Board of Trustees Gary Campbell '65, Cochairs of the Pike's Promise Campaign Lucy Abisalih and Firdaus Bhathena, and philanthropist Ashraf Dahod.
Later in the morning, the entire student body and faculty of Pike gathered in the new theater for the traditional, annual, first-day-of-school assembly, and marveled at its beauty, commodiousness, and remarkable acoustics. New teachers and interns were introduced, and the ever-popular and long-established demonstration of growth was celebrated by having the Pre-kindergarteners accompanied on stage by the Ninth Graders.
In keeping with Pike’s longstanding commitments to environmental responsibility and educational excellence, the new building, which was built over a period of fourteen months (see photos of the construction process), incorporates “green” design—reducing the use of non-renewable resources and minimizing impact on the environment—and adds thousands of square feet of new art and music classrooms, community and gallery areas, learning services space, and a stunning theater with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and stage-production facilities that will be available as a new performance venue to the greater community.
Attention to green design has characterized the new construction from the very start, even as the site was being cleared. Reuse of the site for construction, erosion control during construction, stormwater design, and reduction of light pollution by using full cut-off lights outside contributed to that end.
Choice of materials and resources further contributes to sustainability, from reuse of existing concrete pavers and recycling of gypsum board, steel, and acoustic ceiling tile, to the use of low-emittance glass in all new windows and insulation of the walls beyond the minimum code requirements.
The new building will also make use of dual-flush toilets and low-flow aerators on faucets to reduce water use; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment that uses ozone-friendly hydrofluorocarbons that contain no chlorine; energy recovery wheels that reuse heat energy exhausted from the building; an occupancy controlled ventilation system in the theater, which automatically cuts energy use when no one is present; and energy efficient lights.
Designed by the Boston architectural firm cbt and built by Erland Construction, Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, the new Dahod Center for Community and Creative Learning imparts a striking, modern façade to The Pike School, integrating the Upper School’s Farnsworth Building with the Middle School’s Horne Building and the Lower School’s Grieco Building. The elegance and impressiveness of The Pike School’s appearance now reflects the quality of the education that takes place within.
Fund raising for the $11.5 million addition and renovation continues at a brisk pace and has already reached $7.7 million. A seven-figure lead gift, the largest single gift ever given to Pike, was generously donated by the Dahod family, for whom the building is named. Ashraf and Shamim Dahod have two daughters who were graduated from The Pike School and, in fact, moved to Andover in 1991 so their eldest could attend Pike. Shamim, a physician with her own practice in Chelmsford, has been a trustee at Pike for several years and sits on the board of directors at Boston University Medical School and the Dana Farber Breast Cancer Foundation. Ashraf, who came to the United States in 1971 from India, has started and sold several high-tech companies since his graduation from the University of Michigan and Stanford. Among their many philanthropic projects, the Dahods funded and oversaw the building of the $15 million Dawoodi Bohra mosque off Interstate 495 in Billerica, which opened in 2004.
“We will continue our fund raising until all the money has been raised for the new Center,” says Tara McCabe, Pike’s director of the Office of Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications. “Thanks to the long-term commitments of dedicated families like the Dahods, Pike has never had any debts and has always raised necessary funds. This project will be no different.”
Head of School John “Muddy” Waters looks forward to the changes the new facility will bring to Pike. “These fabulous new spaces give us the opportunity to expand our arts curriculum by adding such things as pottery and enhanced photography courses, to stage more technically sophisticated performances in music and drama, enhance our learning services, better accommodate community gatherings, and provide yearlong exhibition space for student and faculty artwork. And those are only the advantages we can foresee. It will be especially exciting to discover the additional, unexpected benefits.”
Opening Day events included a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Dahod family, Pike Trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff. Following the ribbon-cutting, the original celebrants were joined in the new Center's theater by Pike parents for remarks by Head of School John "Muddy" Waters, Chair of Pike's Board of Trustees Gary Campbell '65, Cochairs of the Pike's Promise Campaign Lucy Abisalih and Firdaus Bhathena, and philanthropist Ashraf Dahod.
Later in the morning, the entire student body and faculty of Pike gathered in the new theater for the traditional, annual, first-day-of-school assembly, and marveled at its beauty, commodiousness, and remarkable acoustics. New teachers and interns were introduced, and the ever-popular and long-established demonstration of growth was celebrated by having the Pre-kindergarteners accompanied on stage by the Ninth Graders.
