Page 14 - School Planning & Management, February 2018

Building Blueprints { FACILITIES IN FOCUS }
Historic Renovations PRESERVING THE PAST, EMBRACING THE FUTURE by ANGELA WHITAKER-WILLIAMS AND MIKE LYSSY
RENOVATING historic structures to support modern educational needs is a unique opportunity
to blend characteristic architecture with state-of-the art design principles. Often, historic buildings serve as anchors of their communities and are deeply valued by community members, making it critical to preserve the history within their hallways.
A project demonstrat-
ing the complex challenges
of historic renovation is
the $19-million renovation
of Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio. Completed by the Austin office
of Perkins+Will, the project included renovating the existing 44,000-square-foot facility and adding 27,000 square feet of career and technical labs and a gym.
Listed on the National Register of His- toric Places and the State of Texas Historical Register, the school’s history is ingrained
in the community and maintaining the integrity of historic elements was essential. Complying with local, state, and national preservation requirements presented
challenges in both design limitations and extended approval processes. Open commu- nication and community support were vital to the site master plan’s approval.
The interior renovations of the school included core academic classrooms, sci- ence labs, corridors, an administration suite, and career and technical labs for the audio visual and architecture mag-
net programs. While the exterior design of the school had strict requirements
to respect the campus
vernacular, the interior design was flexible, allowing the team to open walls and create collaborative learning spaces. To maintain a sense of historicism, for example, project managers matched historic doors and baseboard profiles.
In addition to the renovations, the facility expansion added a layer of com- plexity. Perkins+Will needed to balance the new construction, and its overall aesthetic, with the existing structure. The additions needed to be distinctly differ- ent from the historic school but maintain
a cohesive look, requiring negotiations with the school district and preservation commissions.
To craft consistent additions that didn’t present false historicism, the team matched the colors of the masonry and limestone
to the original building. Working with the existing, ornate Spanish Baroque style, the addition designers created new motifs in
Shoring up classrooms. An unexpected chal- lenge of the $19-million renovation of Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio was a massive structural repair to the foundation. Situ- ated in expanding clay soil, the 1930s-era piers supporting the school failed and buckled the slab in areas. Workers excavated, sometimes by hand, deep under existing floors to build micro- piles beside the original piers to re-support the structure and re-flatten floors.
14 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / FEBRUARY 2018
WEBSPM.COM
HISTORIC RENOVATIONS
PHOTO © THOMAS JEFFERSON
HIGH SCHOOL HISTORICAL
PRESERVATION SOCIETY PHOTOS COURTESY OF PERKINS+WILL