When your design project is in an idyllic setting like the Arizona desert, your job is just a little bit easier. When the architects at RNL Design won the assignment to design the Glendale Community College expansion project in Glendale, Arizona, they found the location was both a unique opportunity and a challenge.
Their opportunity? Creating a visual connection to the desert outdoors. The challenge was to address factors related to the sun and climate, integrating ample daylight and surrounding views while shading windows in a cost-efficient way.
Deep-Dek® deep-ribbed steel roof deck in standard and acoustical profiles answered all these concerns.
Visually, the roof deck provides an elegant indoor-to-outdoor transition. The effect appears seamless with the integration of a floor-to-ceiling window wall system that rises to the underside of the roof deck. Because it can attain impressive clear spans up to 36 feet, the long-span deck minimizes connections to structural members, creating unobstructed views to the outdoors.
Outside, the pre-finished, non-acoustical steel deck canopy matches the interior acoustical deck that accommodates the computing commons. There, students quietly collaborate and study, comfortably immersed in the surrounding natural landscape.
While transitioning areas of study to inspiring desert views, the deep-ribbed steel roof deck addresses the unique acoustical and environmental challenges posed by the desert environment.
Architectural steel deck profiles offer a range of structural and aesthetic benefits. To mitigate sound, deck can be provided with acoustical options for noise reduction coefficients (NRC) up to 1.05. In addition, the deepest architectural steel deck can span up to 36 feet, using fewer intermediate support columns than standard steel deck. For simplified construction, lighting, electrical, plumbing and fire suppression can all be designed into the cavities of the deck.
Architectural deck also can conceal deck fasteners. The surface appearance is clean and weather-tight. Steel deck is typically galvanized, but other options are available, such as stainless steel. After installation, crews in the field can apply a variety of coatings to suit design aesthetics. Coatings add to longevity while offering a building its visual personality.
The Glendale Community College expansion earned the Best of the Best Award for Higher Education by McGraw-Hill Construction’s Publications.
School design priorities have evolved over the past two years to focus on spacious interiors that prioritize health and safety; sustainable building methods and materials; modern aesthetics; and controlling interior acoustics.
Steel buildings systems consisting of long-span steel deck systems, including roof deck and composite floor deck; standard steel joists; and joist girders offer the benefits to efficiently face this new school of design thought.
The evolution of school design has accelerated in recent years, forcing project teams to shift their focus to new priorities. See the projects that are moving the needle.
Cayman International School gymnasium achieves its grand look using steel deck and long-span joists in rare break from typical concrete construction on Grand Cayman.
Building a better steel experience
