Washington school district takes new look at building design

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Sep 29, 2004 by The Daily Journal

Sometimes the right approach for a project is a matter of perspective.

Case in point: Washington Middle School in Olympia, Wash.

When Olympia School District officials decided they needed more room at the school, they started with a plan to remodel an existing 70,000 square feet of space and then add 25,000 square feet of new construction. The estimated cost: $11.8 million.

Enter Mahlum Architects, which flip-flopped the numbers, creating a design with 70,000 square feet of new construction and 25,000 square feet of renovations of existing structure - all for the same $11.8 million.

The secret for success?

Early in the design phase, we developed a cost model that would enable them to meet education delivery, facility and design goals with limited resources, said Mahlum Principal Gerald Butch Reifert.

Final designs for the school project feature repetition of a simple design shape for classrooms. Wooden framing, natural ventilation and lighting were coupled with cost-saving materials such as cement-board siding and fiberglass windows.

But cost savings and creative design were only part of the solution, according to Reifert. It was up to a design committee made up of parents and school representatives to take a step that would propel the district into new waters.

The design committee saw an opportunity in the renovation to do something special, and they were willing to listen, eager to visit other schools and examine a range of options, Reifert said.

Committee members spent a year working with Mahlum's project team, trying to determine which aspects of the existing building should be included in the renovation and which parts could be eliminated and replaced with new construction.

Washington Middle School was built in 1969 in a part of southeastern Olympia that has seen rapid population increases in recent years. Originally sized to house 588 students in the sixth through eighth grades, the school most recently has served nearly 725 students, with enrollment expected to soon reach 800.

As we began investigating options for design solutions, it became clear that we needed to try for the most extensive renovation possible, particularly in teaching spaces, in order to best achieve the long-term goals of the school and district, Reifert said.

The district's design committee identified the school's library as a crucial area, what Reifert describes as the physical and philosophical heart of the school.

Working with that in mind, the Mahlum team created a design that places the library near the entrance of the school, allowing easy access for all students. One end of the library will feature sliding walls that will open onto a flexible space that can be used for art exhibits, theatrical performances or team teaching.

Classrooms will be placed in three distinct teaching wings, and will feature balanced light from north-south window orientations.

The emphasis on natural light is one of the features district officials hope will help the renovated school become the first in the state to earn recognition in the Washington Sustainable School program. State legislators created the program to encourage schools to use resources more efficiently.

Other sustainable features of the school might include low toxicity paints, engineered trusses and clerestory windows, said Dwayne Epp, Mahlum's job captain.

The Washington Middle School project will go out for bid in January. Construction is scheduled to begin in June of next year and finish in July 2006.