GREEN ADDITION TO ALMOST CENTURY-OLD OMAHA HIGH
The core of this inner city school dates to 1922. Nearly 100 years later and with budgets tight, Omaha North High didn’t need to bear the expense of a completely new school. Instead, RDG Planning & Design teamed up with LEED® consulting firm Vertegy to design a very green, 32,000-square-foot addition in the form of a four-story infill joining the school’s two wings. The result is a state-of-the-art magnet school for science, media technology, math, and engineering; by design, then, all building systems, such as the telecom room, were left exposed and visible as a teaching tool. A Kalwall Translucent Curtainwall System helps daylight the space.
Comprised primarily of classrooms and labs, the addition features a two-story greenhouse atop the school’s green roof, for use in conjunction with the biology curriculum, as well as a system to supply all irrigation needs with rainwater. Eighty-one percent of all the wood used in the construction came from Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources, 32 percent of that total from recycled content. An impressive 87 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Kalwall systems contribute significantly to this achievement, as it is pre-engineered and factory-fabricated and arrives at the job site ready for installation with little or no on-site construction waste. Omaha North High School also benefits from the daylighting and energy-saving performance of the translucent Kalwall wall system.
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The Kalwall systems in this project include both the traditional shoji grid layout and Verti-Kal™ configurations. Verti-Kal's unique, vertical format creates an entirely different look while still utilizing the most highly insulating, diffuse-light-transmitting, structural composite technology. The panels incorporate internal, continuous supports to provide a vertical emphasis. Unlike conventional channel glass, Verti-Kal can be supplied in panels up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide and up to 12 ft. (3.6 m) high, minimizing the number of joints. It also performs better in eliminating shadows and glare as well as stark contrasts of light and shade.
This highly insulating advanced daylight technology fills the space with balanced glare-free daylight; after dark, interior lighting casts a welcoming glow when viewed from the outside.
Translucent Kalwall systems have been used in hundreds of educational facilities around the world. In addition to reducing the need for artificial lighting during daytime use, highly insulating Kalwall also saves the school district significant HVAC expenses. Kalwall is sturdy, vandal-resistant, and self-cleaning with every rainfall, eliminating the cost of maintenance.
Omaha North High School is the first educational facility in Nebraska to be certified under the LEED for Schools rating system, earning a Silver ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council. Other recognition includes the AIGA Nebraska Bronze Award of Excellence for Environmental Graphics and AIA Nebraska’s Honor Award for Design Excellence in New Construction. The AIA jury noted, “By taking advantage of residual space, the project creates a holistic solution to an interesting problem. A diverse program is brought together by consistency in interior and exterior material creating a tastefully simple solution.”
Omaha North High School
Omaha, NE
Architect: RDG Planning & Design
LEED Consultant: Vertegy
Photography: Kessler Photography
Kalwall Specifications:
Kalwall Curtainwall System: 1,670 square feet (155 square meters)
U-factor: .23 (1.25 W/m2k) thermally broken
Light Transmission: 18%
Interior face: Crystal
Exterior face: White Super-Weathering
For more information, contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation +1 603-627-3861 (800-258-9777 N. America)
Kalwall is a registered trademark of Kalwall Corporation.
Verti-Kal is a trademark of Kalwall Corporation.
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