![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., was built in 1913 and spent nearly a century morphing into a patchwork of outdated and confusing additions. A few years ago, the Tacoma School District picked Lincoln High School to be the first high school in the district to be part of its newly launched Small Learning Communities program, thus beginning a $74.2 million renovation of the 222,000-sf high school. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., was built in 1913 and spent nearly a century morphing into a patchwork of outdated and confusing additions. A few years ago, the Tacoma School District picked Lincoln High School, dubbed “Old Main,” to be the first high school in the district to be part of its newly launched Small Learning Communities program. The Building Team was given only 13 months to get the school ready to participate in the project. Community members, administrators, students, teachers, and parents worked with architects from the Seattle office of DLR Group to reconfigure the high school for new academy-based educational delivery methods. The architects led them through extensive scenario planning, overlaying each educational program component over the building plans.
The DLR plan divided the school into six zones (two zones in each wing, one on each floor) that would house six academies, each of which would function independently within the larger school building. Shared spaces were to include an auditorium, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a library, and science labs. Funding for the $74.2 million renovation came from a bond issue and a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As work got under way in fall 2006, the existing 222,000-sf, L-shaped school received a number of structural upgrades and nips and tucks. To address seismic concerns, 13 shear walls (using double-sided plywood) were installed, running from grade all the way up to the attic floors. An existing 1980s addition was demolished; in its place arose a two-story structure that expands the school to 264,000 sf and houses the new library and science labs. The addition also acts as a buttress to the existing school structure, providing added seismic support. The school received all new plumbing and electrical systems, as well as new HVAC equipment that was installed in the attic. The Building Team specified aluminum equipment to diminish the weight load on the existing wood-frame structure. Insulation was beefed up to dampen equipment noise. Despite all that’s new with the school, much of its historic character remains intact. The Collegiate Gothic-style school’s original details were restored or replicated; some were relocated and reused in the addition to connect old and new. Also left intact were the school’s 75- to 80-year-old, three-by-seven-foot operable windows, some with original stained glass windows of Tacoma milk glass, so called because of its milky white color. |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Project Summary Lincoln High School Tacoma, Wash. Building Team Submitting firm: DLR Group (architect, structural engineer) Owner: Tacoma School District Architectural consultant: TCF Architecture General contractor: Lease Crutcher Lewis Electrical engineer: Coffman Engineers Mechanical engineer: Hargis Engineers General Information Area: 264,000 sf Construction cost: $74.2 million Construction time: August 2006 to September 2007 |
Related Stories
School Construction | Sep 30, 2021
Renovation of Candeo North Scottsdale completes
SPS+ Architects designed the project, which was built by Adolfson & Peterson.
| Sep 20, 2021
K-12 school design trends for 2021, with Wold's Vaughn Dierks
K-12 school design exert Vaughn Dierks discusses the latest K-12 school design trends and needs.
K-12 Schools | Sep 5, 2021
Philadelphia builds a new school in under 18 months, thanks to a P3 pact between the school district and developer
Gilbane and Stantec were key players in the design and construction of Propel Academy.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
K-12 Schools | Aug 18, 2021
Hastings Architecture completes two new K-12 projects in Nashville
The projects have very different programs but both play critical roles on their respective campuses.
K-12 Schools | Aug 13, 2021
A new P3 guide for K-12 school construction is released
This alternative financing isn’t a silver bullet, but it does provide options to cash-strapped districts.
Contractors | Jul 23, 2021
The aggressive growth of Salas O'Brien, with CEO Darin Anderson
Engineering firm Salas O'Brien has made multiple acquisitions over the past two years to achieve its Be Local Everywhere business model. In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sits down with the firm's Chairman and CEO, Darin Anderson, to discuss its business model.
K-12 Schools | Jul 9, 2021
LPA Architects' STEM high school post-occupancy evaluation
LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.
K-12 Schools | Jun 29, 2021
A Maryland school system launches a P3 program to speed up K-12 school design, financing, and construction
Gilbane and Stantec are part of a consortium that breaks ground on six new schools this week.