Projects Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Science Academy

Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Science Academy

New Construction | Educational

"We appreciate working with Gibbs Construction as a team to assure the construction was kept on schedule at all times. Communication was key to completing the project to the required specifications. Gibbs Construction staff were always responsive to any issues with the project and we were able to keep moving forward with the construction process to keep the project on schedule."
Ryan Flanagan, PE | Schrenk, Endom & Flanagan, LLC

The founding team of Kenner Discovery awarded Gibbs the low-bid contract as general contractor for their second school, Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Science Academy (DJOD), which serves the families of Jefferson Parish.

Situated on the former campus of John H. Martyn School, the 90,000 square-foot multi-level complex houses 25 teaching classrooms, five technology learning centers, two hands-on laboratories, sensory and speech development classrooms, and a gymnasium complete with a full-size basketball court, performing stage and retractable seating.

Enclosed in metal wall panels, this structural steel building’s facade is composed of prefinished fiber cement siding, masonry and expansive amounts of curtainwall.

The school showcases both indoor and outdoor teaching kitchens, that utilize an on-campus garden for farm-to-table activities. Students learn harvesting through an outdoor rainwater collection cistern which irrigates the culinary garden and a landscaped bioswale. This internal student courtyard is complete with playground equipment and protective playing surfaces.

Resequencing work to avoid closing off all access for machinery and trade work and preemptive planning by our operations team allowed us to anticipate the installation of the structural steel canopy within this courtyard and manage the procurement of long-lead-time materials which was essential to maintain the project schedule.

DJOD now provides Jefferson Parish with a novelty hands-on learning facility. This technologically forward campus is the most recent illustration of Gibbs’ robust experience in high-tech centers, which has left Gibbs with the added lasting experience and knowledge of the importance of collaboration and teamwork through the opportunity to build this experiential facility.