In today’s building environment, a new and urgent need to rethink school design at all levels is pushing the market toward innovative solutions. Increasingly, the answer prioritizes open, flexible, adaptable learning spaces that ensure the health and safety of students and school staff alike. Design teams in the education sector must work together with steel suppliers to meet these new demands.
Steel joists combined with long-span steel deck systems, including roof deck and composite floor deck, are ideal solutions for progressive school design. This type of structural steel framing system provides long-lasting service and efficacy while enabling wide-open, visually appealing learning spaces.
The following projects feature multiple steel building systems to achieve a range of school design goals, including spacious interiors, versatile spaces, stunning visuals and more.
As part of a $60 million project, Cayman International School added a multi-purpose gymnasium and performing arts center for the school and community alike to use. The space accommodates multiple court configurations and a full theatrical stage. To create the expansive, unobstructed spans and open floor plan necessary for spectator sports and performances, the facility features nine 110-foot-long, 60-inch-deep, double-pitched steel joists and an acoustic steel roof deck.
Read a case study of this project here.
Photo courtesy of Cayman International School
In San Jose, California, the new Cedar Grove Elementary School embraces a philosophy of collaboration and open learning school design. The 45,000-square-foot facility features numerous profiles of dovetail roof deck, which creates an attractive linear plank look. New Millennium supplied 2.0 Versa-Dek® LS ES, LS ES A and LS ES AC to achieve the required spans and mitigate noise.
See photos of this project here.
Photo courtesy of Project Frog, Inc.
Clemson University’s Watt Family Innovation Center is a 77,000-square-foot high-tech environment dedicated to hands-on research. It is designed to create “a place where innovation could happen without the constraints of traditional classroom spaces and resources,” according to Haworth interiors. The $24.5 million facility features Deep-Dek® Composite and standard Deep-Dek roof deck as well as standard and composite roof decks to meet visual and architectural needs.
See photos of this project here.
In the city of Von Ormy outside of San Antonio, the recently completed Judith A. Resnik Middle School adopts a design based on team-teaching and “school within a school” academic models. The 170,000-square-foot facility’s spaces are flexible for collaboration, with an open floor plan that accommodates multiple learning environments and mitigates noise. Achieving these goals required a wide range of steel building systems, including steel joists, Versa-Dek 3.5, Versa-Dek 3.5 Acoustical, standard roof deck and composite floor deck.
See photos of this project here.
New gymnasium construction requires steel building systems that can provide the clear spans and noise-mitigation necessary for large indoor spaces. For the new gymnasium at Provo High School in Provo, Utah, the project team selected deep-ribbed Deep-Dek 6.0 Acoustical steel roof deck that achieves both and also provides a dramatic look when left exposed.
See photos of this project here.
Mountie Arena at Rogers High School in Rogers, Arkansas, is a $16.5 million competition gymnasium that feels like a pro-level venue. It features 185-foot-long, 12-foot-deep double-pitched steel joists supporting acoustical architectural roof deck that soars 46 feet off the floor.
Read a case study of this project here.
Photo courtesy of Hight Jackson Associates
Flexibility is a theme at Southwest Legacy High School in Von Ormy, Texas. The 370,000-square-foot school includes a variety of collaborative and conference spaces to supplement the classrooms and promote engagement. A design highlight is a large central “mall” with amphitheater-style seating for large group presentations and collaboration.” Steel joists, standard roof deck, Versa-Dek 3.5 roof deck and composite floor deck bring the design to life while Versa-Dek 3.5 Acoustical mitigates noise in the cafeteria and gymnasium.
See photos of this project here.
Tri-State University, now called Trine University, in Angola, Indiana, turned to New Millennium when it needed standard steel joists and standard steel roof deck, specifically .6 form deck, for its new-construction project.
See photos of this project here.
The 2,000-seat, 61,000-square-foot, $16 million Harold Newman Arena at the University of Jamestown in Jamestown, North Dakota, required a host of products to achieve its dramatic new look: steel joists, spliced barrel joists, 1.5 form deck, 3.0 composite deck, 1.5B roof deck and type N acoustical roof deck.
See photos of this project here.
School design priorities have evolved to focus on open floor plans that promote collaboration; 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.
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