An update from PUSD Facilities Director Pete Palmer on how construction of the new STEAM building is coming along at the Piedmont High School campus, sent on November 4:
“Overaa Construction is continuing to erect the steel framing for the STEAM building and will soon set the remaining columns and pour perimeter grade beams for the first floor. Overaa will also pour the footings for the large trellis, art and engineering patios, and the ‘bioretention’ basins.
Bioretention basins channel rainwater in ways that help protect the natural environment. Specifically, these basins direct the flow of rainwater away from the impervious areas around buildings and walkways, and use soil, plants, and underground layers of gravel to drain and filter this water. Bioretention helps prevent rainwater from overloading the City’s storm sewer system, contributing to flooding, or damaging local streams. Bioretention naturally filters bacteria, sediments, and pollutants from rainwater, improving water quality as it flows underground and ultimately to the San Francisco Bay.
Once these next steps are completed, the STEAM project will be protected from the flow of rainwater and mud on the site. Overaa will then focus on the walls and roof and enclosing the building. Once enclosed and protected from the elements, work will begin inside the building on electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems.”