DAYLIGHTING HELPS MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL "ATTRACT"

Just as magnets attract metal, Fort Vancouver High School's "magnet programs" attract students: fourteen-hundred, at last count, drawn from throughout the Vancouver, Washington, metropolitan area (just across the Columbia River from Portland,Oregon). The wide-ranging curriculum includes culinary arts, law, health, electronics and computers, as well as television broadcasting. Nursing and sports medicine students have access to an actual exam room, laboratory, and even a resident physician. Those enrolled in Legal Studies learn how to conduct trials in a courtroom, complete with judge's chamber and jury room, good enough to share with actual local and state courts. Clearly, FVHS is an atypical school. However, until December 1998, it suffered from an all-too-typical problem.

"It was dark," recalls Steve Nelsen of LSW Architects. "There's no other way to say it." Nelsen was the Project Architect for the 17 million dollar, 220,000-square-foot renovation. "But of course, you can't just put in a bunch of clear glass windows wherever you want to. And believe me, you wouldn't want to. Part of our challenge was to maximize the amount of natural light entering the building while keeping glare to a minimum."

Further complicating matters was the existent layout of FVHS. "We were somewhat hemmed-in by the school's previous design," says Nelsen. "The structural system and location of buildings that were to be connected determined the approximate sizes and orientation of the new spaces." Moreover, the original, campus-style setting required students to follow often inconvenient, outside circulation paths.

For the exterior, LSW Architects chose single-story, masonry veneer with metal mansard over covered walkways. Continues Nelsen, "This portion of the renovation allows more interior circulation between the buildings." Indoors, the masonry was brought into and through the main circulation spaces. "We wanted to bring inside the look and feel of the outside." And the darkness problem? "I'd used Kalwall translucent panels in four previous school building and renovation projects. The quality of natural light you get with Kalwall made it the obvious choice for FVHS. It's amazingly easy to install and maintain. And of course, a Kalwall skyroof always makes a stunning visual impact."

There are three skyroofs, one for each entrance. A 450-square-foot, barrel-vaulted skyroof system daylights the auditorium entry; a second lights up the space that leads to the Commons, just off the Food Court. The third - at 2,800 square feet almost three times larger than the second - welcomes students, faculty, and the public in a shower of daylight just inside the school's main entrance.

According to Nelsen, "We chose Kalwall because their barrel-vaulted skyroof system reduced the structure needed to span the entire entry width. The translucent panels allow a maximum of glare-free light into the spaces." Even on cloudy days, an even balance of usable, natural light fills the interior; at Fort Vancouver High School, a light transmission of 15% was specified.

Nelsen also credits Kalwall's energy efficiency. "The panels really cut down on heating and cooling loads, another advantage over clear glass windows." Fort Vancouver High School specified panels with a U-factor of .29, a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.16, and diffuse-light transmission of 15%. Today, the FVHS "magnet program" areas are arrayed in a kind of orbit around a central courtyard. An aerobics/dance studio plus an exercise room for circuit training are available. Band and chorus rehearsal rooms double as recording studios; the auditorium, seating over 500, is wired to record digitally the school's music and drama productions. Over two dozen workstations buzz in the media center while a fiber-optic network speeds audio, video, and data to nearly 600 computers. And it's a much brighter, glare-free place. "With all those computer screens," warns Nelsen, "that piece of the puzzle is always critical. Using Kalwall allowed us to bring a tremendous amount of natural light deep into the interior, transforming a previously 'dark'school into an open and 'airy'environment while minimizing eye-straining glare." The skyroofs have also helped define the entrances and organizational elements of the building.

FVHS brings to five the number of schools that LSW Architects has installed with Kalwall translucent panels. Steve Nelsen can't imagine using anything else. "The quality of natural light, the ease of insulation and maintenance, the visual appeal... why stop now?"

Kalwall Specifications:
U-factor: .29 by NFRC
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: 0.16
Light transmission: 15%
Color: White
Trim: Aluminum #79

For more information, contact:

Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation
1-800-258-9777

Architect: LSW Architects, Vancouver, Washington
Photography: Jãnis Miglavs