Metal Roofing - a Durable and Sustainable Option

Buncombe County Schools, in Asheville, NC. sought to relieve overcrowding in eight existing schools with the simultaneous construction of two new intermediate (grades 5-6) schools. The twin 107,000 square-foot facilities are identical in design and offer students a unique sense of discovery.

Sustainability was a driving directive for the design of the schools provided by Architectural Design Studio (ADS), Asheville, N.C. The project is slated for LEED Silver status.

Eblen Intermediate School utilizes a colorful variety of PAC-CLAD profiles. “Metal was the natural choice to use on the roof of the buildings,” according to ADS Principal Mike Cox. “School construction has been my primary focus for many years and my emphasis has always been durability. Metal gives us more durability and longer life than other materials.”

Site limitations caused some challenges with daylighting, according to Cox. “Daylighting was one of the features we really wanted to get into the buildings,” Cox says. Both buildings are oriented east/west. ADS’ solution was to design construction of large vertical skylights, called “monitors”, for each classroom. “The monitors are designed to get daylight in the classrooms year-round but to completely avoid the entry of direct sunlight. It’s all reflected light — any day, any time, any time of year — there’s no direct sunlight.”

Installation of the PAC-CLAD material, supplied by PAC distributor Commercial Roofing Specialties, Inc., College Park, Ga., was done by Peach State Roofing of Lawrenceville, Ga. “It was a challenging job due to the complex design and the phasing and coordination with the various trades,” says David Schmitt, vice president. “The monitor skylights were built with metal stud framing and clad with the Petersen material. The trim packages all required individual measurements. But the end product really turned out great.”

www.pac-clad.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.