Ancient philosophers theorized four elements comprised the universe: earth, air, water and fire. The latter two of these figure prominently in the design of the Niles North High School Aquatics Center in Skokie, Il., a suburb of Chicago.
On behalf of its client, the Niles Township High School District 219, Legat Architects (Chicago) designed an “expansion and renovation of the aquatics center to improve competitive and educational swimming programs, promote community participation and enhance safety.”
Designed to meet LEED for Schools Gold environmental criteria, a key aspect of the project was a 24,600-sf addition to the school’s existing pool complex. The addition’s defining visual features include a dramatically curving roof with clerestory over the new pool, and a glazed curtain wall rising up to match the roof’s curve. The light-filled space creates the ambiance of an outdoor pool for student athletes and spectators.
While the water element is clear in the swimming pools, the fire element factors in with the use of fire-rated glazing systems from Technical Glass Products (TGP).
“We needed to provide a two-hour fire-rated separation between the existing building and the new addition, but we wanted the facility to read as a single aquatics center,” explained Michael Maloney, LEED AP BD+C, design director for Legat Architects. “A visual connection between pools was crucial for the concept, as well as for safety and security. The Fireframes® Curtainwall Series frames and Pilkington Pyrostop® glass from TGP allowed us to meet the fire requirements, while maintaining the visual connection between the existing and new parts of the building.”
TGP’s Fireframes® Curtainwall Series frames
Fireframes Curtainwall Series frames are available with fire-ratings up to 120 minutes, and feature narrow profiles to reduce sightlines. The UL classified and labeled steel frames enable large, multi-story expanses of glass in interior and exterior applications. Also available with up to 120 minute fire ratings, Pilkington Pyrostop glazing is impact safety rated and blocks the transfer of radiant heat.
For more information on the Fireframes Curtainwall System and Pilkington Pyrostop, along with TGP’s other fire-rated glass and framing, visit www.fireglass.com.
Technical Glass Products
800.426.0279
800.451.9857 – fax
sales@fireglass.com
www.fireglass.com
Related Stories
| Sep 4, 2013
K-12 school design that pays off for students
More and more educators are being influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to pedagogy, with its mantra of “environment as the third teacher”—an approach that gives Building Teams a responsibility to pay even closer attention to the special needs of today’s schools.
| Sep 3, 2013
'School in a box' project will place school in San Diego public library
Thinking outside the box, LPA Inc. is designing a school inside a box. With an emphasis on three E’s—Engage, Educate, and Empower—e3 Civic High is now being constructed on the sixth and seventh floors of a public library in downtown San Diego. Library patrons will be able to see into the school via glass elevators, but will not have physical access to the school.
| Aug 30, 2013
Modular classrooms gaining strength with school boards
With budget, space needs, and speed-to-market pressures bearing down on school districts, modular classroom assemblies are often a go-to solution.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 14, 2013
Five projects receive 2013 Educational Facility Design Excellence Award
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) has selected five educational and cultural facilities for this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Aug 12, 2013
New York’s first net-zero school will be a sustainability lab for city school system
An elementary school on Staten Island will be the first net-zero energy school in New York City and the Northeast. The school is designed to use half the energy of a typical New York public school. Construction will be completed in 2015.
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.
| Jul 22, 2013
School officials and parents are asking one question: Can design prevent another Sandy Hook? [2013 Giants 300 Report]
The second deadliest mass shooting by a single person in U.S. history galvanizes school officials, parents, public officials, and police departments, as they scrambled to figure out how to prevent a similar incident in their communities.
