Page 33 - School Planning & Management, December 2017

CASE HISTORIES { REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS }
Natural Light Leads to Energy Savings
WESTSIDE CHRISTIAN High School is located in Tigard, Ore. The school leadership decided to build a new gymnasium so the sports teams would have their own place to play for the first time ever.
The school is one of the first in Oregon to use 100-percent LED lighting so energy efficiency was a top focus, but the school leadership really wanted students to have access to natural light in the gym. Since the gym is an interior space, tubular daylight- ing devices proved the only viable solution.
“Solatube SkyVault were recommended for a number of reasons, including that electric lights would not be needed during the day,” says Dan Quatier, president of Interior Technology. “The school now has the advantage of a naturally lit gym.”
The project used 20 SkyVault M74 units. LED lights on a timer were added as a complementary technology and for use in nighttime lighting.
“The electric lights can be put on a timer, so it’s easy to turn on the lights if they are needed,” adds Quatier. “The gym is beauti- ful during the day with no lights on.”
“In addition to providing such incred- ible natural light and reducing energy use, the Solatube units are attractive and fit into the overall ceiling structure in such a way that they enhance the beauty of the space. The gym has quickly become one of the fa- vorite spots for community gatherings due in part to the bright, light atmosphere cre- ated by the Solatube. We are very pleased with our choice to put them in and would recommend them to anyone wanting to
Westside Christian High School benefitted from Solatube Skyvault, which gave students more natural light in the gymand helped the school save on lighting costs.
enhance the quality of any space,” said Dr. Deborah Miller, head of school for Westside Christian High School.
Westside Christian High School sports teams now have a gym to call their own, flooded with daylight.
Students Benefit From Safer Flooring
“EVERYTHING starts with the flooring,” says Dana Rid-
enour, director of advance- ment at Calvary Christian Academy (CCA),
a pre-K3–12 school located in Fort Lau- derdale, Fla., and committed to excellence in academics, athletics, arts, technology, leadership, and ministry. “Then you can start building and painting; but, you have got to have a great floor first.”
CCA recognized the significance flooring has in a space. So, when CCA renovated its fitness center in the spring of 2017, school leadership listened to the recommenda- tion of Legend Fitness, a fitness equipment manufacturer involved with the project, and specified Ecore Athletic surfacing.
“When I visited the site for the first time, I saw a student trying to push a sled on concrete, and it wouldn’t move,” says Troy Kelley, director of Athletics for Ecore. “It’s
impossible to push a sled on that surface. It’s not good for the sled, the athlete or the floor.”
That’s because the surface of the entire fitness center, which is housed inside a former warehouse adjacent to the cam- pus, was concrete. Kelley suggested four surfaces that provide safety, ergonomic and acoustic properties for this 3,774-square- foot space, which is used by more than 200 students and student athletes daily.
CCA had 1,482 square feet of Monster Roll installed in the weight lifting area, which features 14 racks with custom,
inlaid platforms for Olympic-style weight lifting. Monster Roll is a 22.5mm system designed to provide the firm footing desired in strength training with the ergonomic demands of aggressive functional training. “It’s going to save us so much on weights and other equipment, because all that stuff is no longer getting banged up,” says Ridenour.
CCA students benefitted from safer, slip-free flooring
in their athletic center and the school benefitted from procuring a durable, longer-lasting floor that requires less maintenance over time.
CCA is extremely happy with the outcome of the renovation and all of the surfaces in the fitness center. “We waited a long time to get this project done,” says Ridenour. “The products are just fantastic. For the first time, we have safe and slip-free surfaces.” SPM
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DECEMBER 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 33