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Construction is progressing on Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Construction is progressing on Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Construction is progressing on Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

Fox Blocks TrueGrid is being use to create the walls of the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School in Brookfield, Conn. Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Foam insulating blocks filled with rebar and concrete are part of the construction of the walls of the new school. The foam insulation is left in place after the concrete has cured.

BROOKFIELD — The town’s newest elementary school is beginning to take shape, with walls finally rising from the ground at 100 Candlewood Lake Road.

After the arrival of fences and equipment in March and a groundbreaking ceremony in May, the construction of Candlewood Lake Elementary is well underway.

The $78.1 million, nearly 139,000-square-foot school is set to open in the fall of 2022 and will eventually take the place of Huckleberry Hill Elementary and serve Brookfield’s pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

Residents can keep track of the progress through livestream cameras pointed towards the construction site. The school has its own website where residents can learn more about the school’s creation.

Paul Checco, municipal building committee chairman, said construction is on schedule due to long days put in by work crews and the inclusion of “float days” in the schedule, or cushion days that are added to allow for things like weather delays.

“We’re still in the infancy of this process,” Checco said, noting construction still has a long way to go. “We keep our fingers crossed, we keep our heads down, and we move through the project.”

Builders are working their way from the cafeteria to the classroom wings and multi-purpose area. The walls for two classroom wings are going up now, with the foundation being laid for a third, Checco said.

On Tecton Architects’ website, the building plan includes an early childhood center, three classroom wings, a cafeteria, gym, kitchen, lockers and showers, and multi-purpose space for community use. An enclosed courtyard space will provide children with protected outdoor space.

The company’s portfolio includes other school projects, ranging from public schools in Hartford, Ansonia, Norwich and New London, to private schools throughout Connecticut, and higher education institutions in several states.

Construction includes a unique technique that uses insulated concrete forms when building walls.

Instead of removing the forms after pouring concrete, as is the usual process, the foam form stays and becomes part of the structure, enhancing insulation, which will help the school save energy and money.

Checco said this means the forms can serve as “the form and insulation all in one.” He called the poured concrete building a “much more massive and strong structure.”

“I think what they’re doing is very good in that it’s cost-effective to do, it insulates better, and it saves money,” First Selectman Steve Dunn said. “That’s a win across the board in my opinion.”

Dunn said he toured the site about three weeks ago and was impressed with the progress.

“We are so excited and also eternally grateful to the Brookfield residents that nearly 1,200 of our youngest learners in town along with our amazing faculty and staff will shortly be experiencing a school with state-of-the-art construction materials and technology,” wrote Superintendent John Barile in an email.

Currie Engel covers health issues and the towns of New Milford and Brookfield for the News-Times. A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Journalism School, she has worked for publications like The Houston Chronicle, Harper's Magazine, and TIME. When she's not reporting, Currie is usually reading, running, and singing, but usually not at the same time.