More than three-and-a-half years after a gunman killed 26 people inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., students are getting ready to fill the classrooms of a new $50 million building at the same site.
The news media was given an early look Friday at the newly constructed Sandy Hook Elementary School, WTNH-TV reports.
The 86,800-square-foot facility was built on the site of the old school, which was torn down after the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting attack. The new school will accommodate about 500 students in grades prekindergarten to four, and has been built to meet LEED Gold standards for environmentally friendly design and construction.
Classes are scheduled to begin on Aug. 29 in the new facility.
The new Sandy Hook campus has incorporated design elements that were recommended by the School Safety Infrastructure Commission, which was formed in early 2013 by the Connecticut legislature to develop guidelines for bolstering school security.
"Security concerns were carefully analyzed and were seamlessly integrated into the architecture, providing a safe learning environment while supporting the educational mission of the school," the district says on a web site that provides details about the new school.
The architect is Svigals + Partners, and the construction manager is Consigli Construction.
Video from WTNH-TV:
