Penn Hills High School - Animation Narrative
Overview:
Architectural Innovations designed the 300,000 square feet new Penn Hills Senior High School for 1900 students in Grades 9-12. The new building shall be constructed on the existing 56 acre high school campus. The existing high school will be demolished, providing additional site areas for new parking and athletic fields.
Design Concept:
The Penn Hills School District’s mascot is the “Indians”; for the new Senior High School, our firm utilized the Native American Indians’ respect for nature as a conceptual design model. We integrated a concept called “Biomimicry”, characterized by our use of several inspirations from nature to develop our innovative approach for building form, structure, function, and technology. The building is organized with symmetry similar to a ‘living organism’. The instructional, assembly, and support spaces are designed and organized by function, maximum efficiency, and relationship to the academic curriculum. The location of the mechanical systems is within the “torso” or “heart” of the building. We incorporated green building design principles in order to provide durability of materials and conservation of natural resources. The building reflects the style and expression of Native American Indian art. Like the image of an American eagle soaring above the frontier, the building’s form is symbolized by the academic “wings” that stretch outward to the campus; the entrance and canopy point proudly to the future, while greeting students and visitors with a striking, “totem-pole” like support column. The overall design signifies some of the distinctive characteristics of the Native American Indian identity, including: strength, honor, achievement, creativity, and perseverance.
The new Senior High School is designed for “21st century learning” and includes an academic departmentalization for the math, science, language arts, foreign languages, social studies, and business departments. Additional instructional spaces for music, arts, physical education, consumer sciences, and technologies are appropriately located near correlating classrooms and assembly areas. All of the classrooms and labs are designed to provide the teachers with the facilities, audio/visual equipment, and learning tools to enhance the delivery of the specific curriculum, while providing flexibilities for individual and team learning activities. The general design segregates the academic wings from the large assembly areas, enabling the secure use of the building for community activities and special events after regular school hours. The auditorium shall seat approximately 1,000 people, and it is equipped with state of the art lighting systems and professionally engineered sound systems and acoustical qualities for optimal performance and enjoyment. The main gymnasium is designed with flexibility for various athletic activities, and it can seat approximately 1,900 spectators when the bleachers are extended. For physical education classes, the main competition court can be expanded into 3 courts by retracting the bleachers. The natural wood flooring with painted graphics and the gym’s interior design elements create a competitive showcase for exhibition of school spirit and athletic achievements. The cafeteria shall accommodate all of the students within 3 lunch sessions, providing a cheerfully designed dining and social environment. The integral food court will provide efficiency for serving the students with an expanded menu of healthy selections. The central location of the cafeteria in close proximity to the gym and auditorium provides flexible opportunities for the use of the space during various events and activities. The overall site design includes significant changes to the existing campus in order to improve athletic facilities, outdoor learning opportunities, roadways, parking, and vehicular separation for increased safety.
Design Advancements:
The design process included a significant planning and programming phase to achieve community consensus for an efficient building solution that creates an enhanced learning environment for the students, integrates green building design features, reduces general building operating costs, provides an opportunity to recapture the enrollment of students who are currently participating in alternative cyber learning, and constructs a new building without increasing local taxes. The School District’s leadership is excited about the new building’s potential contribution as part of an overall educational plan to improve academic performance for all students within the District.
Energy Savings Design Concepts:
The new Penn Hills High School's HVAC system combines air-cooled chillers with an innovative system of ice harvesting and storage tanks for the building’s cooling needs. At night-time during the warm weather months, ice will be created in the harvest tanks; during the day, the system will melt the ice and utilize the cooling effect to help satisfy the air-conditioning throughout the building. During the cold weather months, the heating system will operate with a combination of high energy efficient boilers. It is expected that this overall HVAC system shall provide the School District with approximately 30% energy cost savings, compared to more conventional systems.
Summary:
Integrating the School District’s architectural challenge for our firm to create a “beacon on the hill,” the new High School will provide an exciting learning environment for the students to experience advancements in the educational program for 21st century learning and receive preparation for post-secondary education, training, and the competitive workforce. The School District is confident that the new Penn Hills Senior High School will enhance the quality of education for the students; provide a center for community excellence in academics, arts, athletics, and technologies; and create a “guiding beacon” for the preparation of the community’s future generations. |
