Improved Educational Addition

by Jonathan McGaha | June 30, 2016 12:00 am

From a tired, worn facility into a beacon of light

In August 2015, students in Fayetteville, Ark., returned to their Fayetteville High School and found it completely transformed. They found what was once a conglomeration of numerous buildings without an identity is now a completely transformed, state-of-the-art high school with a unified design, embracing its role in the community and the public at large. The judges in this year’s 2016 Metal Architecture Design Awards, one of whom had actually seen it in person, found it to be very impressive and cited it as being “rock solid” and an “awfully good project.” The school won in the renovations and retrofit category.

“The transformation turned a tired, worn facility into a beacon of light, a thoughtful display of education, and an icon in this thriving community,” says Jim French, FAIA, senior principal at DLR Group, Overland Park, Kan. “The shift from a 10-12 to a 9-12 grade campus provided more educational opportunities for students. A modernized, cohesive campus elevated its academic stature to attract top educators and students, and the public’s investment in education was seen as an investment in the future of Fayetteville.”

The school now has new and renovated spaces, including classrooms, performing arts center, competition arena, auxiliary gym, student commons, food service and administrative offices. It also includes beautiful outdoor spaces, an open floor plan and natural light throughout to accommodate modern learning and instructional methods that all create a more collegiate look and feel. Additionally, the new layout provides enhanced security to keep students, faculty and staff safe. At 534,000 square feet, it’s the largest civic project constructed in Fayetteville in the last 50 years.

 

Education Renovation

The existing high school was built in 1952, and was simply too small and fragmented to accommodate 3,000 students. The common areas were too small for the current enrollment. The auditorium did not support student productions and the cafeteria could seat less than one sixth of the student body at once. The cafeteria flooded during heavy rains. Academic spaces were outdated, did not meet state standards, and were not flexible for modern teaching and learning practices. The district wanted to transition ninth-grade students to the high school campus for greater access to advanced educational programs and courses. However, bringing this group of students to the existing campus created the need for additional space.

So an addition and renovation was necessary. But how do you take the existing 180,000-squarefoot academic wing and turn it into a small learning community (SLC) model?

The project was conceived in four quadrants over two phases to allow for continuous operation of the school during the four-year construction schedule. The main front entrance was repositioned toward Martin Luther King Blvd., creating an inviting, visible entrance to campus and allowing for new drop-off areas and vehicular access to the site. Phase one consisted of a new arena, performing arts center, auditorium, band/music space and athletics spaces. It was built on the south side of the site and opened in August 2012. Phase two houses academic facilities, allowing for the integration of ninth grade onto the campus.

The ninth-grade center and alternative school were built on the site of the former athletic building. Phase two was completed in August 2015. Circulation and security are greatly increased due to a public entry plaza and a pedestrian green street that mediates between the first and second phase and the 85-foot change in topography across the site.

 

Box Rib Panels

As part of this renovation, a material palette of box ribbed metal panels and locally quarried stone was used, a less-expensive cladding system than brick. J.D. Day Co., Mission, Kan., supplied 20-gauge, rollformed steel panels, and 90-degree vertical box ribs on 4-inch centers with 1 1/2-inch rib height. They were installed vertically with concealed fasteners. A metal panel clad fly loft that creates a beacon for the school reads FHS, the abbreviation for the high school. The metal panels were manufactured by Bristol, Conn.-based Morin Corp, A Kingspan Group Co. A glass curtainwall was distributed by Ace Glass Co. Inc., Lowell, Ark. from manufacturer Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga. The metal installer was Queen City Roofing and Contracting Co., Springfield, Mo.

“The metal panel was used because of its ability to be affordable, but not look cheap,” says Bradford Payne, Associate AIA, project manager, Marlon Blackwell Architects, Fayetteville. “The material is durable allowing us to meet the long-term maintenance goals and the LEED standards on building skins. We worked with J.D. Day to develop the panel in a concealed fastener system to extend the life of the product. Because of the scale of the project, we were able to develop the entire site for $130 per square foot.

“The elegant detailing and clear identity of the panel unified the campus material logic and identity. The color and finish give the high school a presence, visible from the highway and on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. [The metal panels] connect the existing buildings and create two identifiable buildings, with a courtyard connecting the two to create a cohesive campus. The panels’ pattern and color are not conventional, transcending the typical metal building typology. The particular panel gives us flexibility at the corners to wrap the material with a rib-sized corner detail, producing a sophisticated system.”

 

Sustainable School

The school was designated a LEED Gold facility in March 2016. Sustainable elements include integrated shades for temperature and glare control, natural light and daylit spaces for learning, waterefficient landscaping, energy-efficient mechanical and lighting systems, and recycled materials. “Long bands of glass along the campus buildings draw light deep into the school,” says Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, principal of Marlon Blackwell Architects. “Due to the site constraints, some classrooms are located on the interior of the building. Skylights over grand staircases and maker spaces let light penetrate these interior spaces.”

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Fayetteville High School Addition and Renovation, Fayetteville, Ark.

Completed: August 2015 Total square footage: 534,768 square feet
Building owner: Fayetteville Public School Board
Architect of record: Hight Jackson Associates, Rogers, Ark., www.hjarch.com[1]
Associate architects: Marlon Blackwell Architects, Fayetteville,
www.marlonblackwell.com[2], and DLR Group, Overland Park, Kan., www.dlrgroup.com[3]
Civil and landscape engineer: McClelland Engineering, Fayetteville, www. mcclelland-engrs.com[4]
General contractor: Nabholz Construction Corp., Conway, Ark., www.nabholz.com[5]
Geotechnical engineer: GTS Inc., Fayetteville, gtsinc.cc[6]
Metal installer: Queen City Roofing and Contracting Co., Springfield, Mo., qcroofing.com[7]
Metal wall panel distributor: J.D. Day Co., Mission, Kan., www.jddaycompany.com[8]
Glass curtainwall: Ace Glass Co. Inc., Lowell, Ark., www.aceglass.net[9], and Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., www.kawneer.com[10]
Metal wall panels: Morin Corp, a Kingspan Group company, Bristol, Conn., www.kingspanpanels.com[11]

 

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/improved-educational-addition/

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