W. F. Kaynor Regional Vocational Technical School
Waterbury, Conn.

The recently completed W. F. Kaynor Regional Vocational Technical School project has won the 2010 Connecticut Real Estate Award for Best in Class in the educational category. Thornton Tomasetti provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection design for renovations that transformed an obsolete building into a cutting-edge facility. The project consisted of total renovations of the trade shop areas, demolition of the academic-administration wing and construction of new academic-administration areas. The renovated areas total 75,000 sf and the new additions 138,000 sf. The MEP design included demolition of the existing mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing systems, and design/construction of all new systems for the facility. The design included all of the specialty services to support the operations of the various trade shops, including sawdust collection, automobile painting booths, tail pipe exhaust, compressed air, specialized exhaust systems and electronic equipment. The school remained open through the renovation process. A ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled by the governor’s office took place May 14 at the school. The Architect is The S/L/A/M Collaborative.