Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

EXTECH Provides Skylight System to Calif. Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/07/21

EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. has provided skylight systems for the new Spring Hill School middle school campus in Sonoma County, Petaluma, Calif. The campus opened its doors to students for the first time for the 2019-20 school year. The middle school was designed by DMARC Studio, constructed by Advanced Building Solutions, and offers a variety of indoor and outdoor learning spaces for up to 120 students.

The building features a learning center / conference room, idea lab, math center, makerspace studio including a 3D printer, and indoor and outdoor learning classrooms. A covered walkway featuring EXTECH’s skylight system connects the outdoor learning spaces, providing daylight and ventilation to students. The SKYGARD 2500 Series skylight system covers an area about 168 feet long by 6 feet wide at a consistent slope of 1:12 across the entire span.

EXTECH skylight system
Photo by Kaplan Photo, courtesy of EXTECH

Each of its 55 panels come in a variety of sizes and are made of laminated glass more than half an inch thick and framed with anodized aluminum. The aluminum is made of recycled materials.

“Our skylights not only support sustainable daylight designs, but also provide a cost-effective choice for fabrication, installation and maintenance,” said EXTECH general manager Jim Leslie. “Backed with a 10-year warranty, our skylight system continues to add value for school districts, building owners and facility managers for years to come.”

The Spring Hill School opened in 1975 to offer a Montessori-based education to students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The new middle school campus expands those opportunities through eighth grade. The program includes a distinct focus on humanities, science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). This educational style and STEAM focus influenced the inclusion of nontraditional learning spaces to increase flexibility and student health and offer an aesthetic touch.

“This challenge was approached by utilizing a unique structural system that not only provides flexibility for the instructional spaces within the building, but also provides a design aesthetic inspired by the STEAM curriculum when exposed,” said DMARC. “The classrooms’ connection to the outdoors provides unique educational spaces for the students and maximizes usable space.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • restroom sinks

    CSU Dominguez Hills Standardizes Plumbing to Improve Restroom Maintenance and Efficiency

    At California State University, Dominguez Hills, facilities leaders have taken steps to standardize restroom fixtures as part of a broader effort to improve maintenance efficiency and control long-term costs.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).