Westfield Ninth Grade Center, Houston
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECTS: DLR Group and Pfluger
METAL PANEL INSTALLER: PRC Roofing Co. Inc.
MATERIALS
Located next to Spring Independent School District’s Westfield High School, the Westfield Ninth Grade Center formerly housed a middle school, but the facility has been extensively remodeled to separately host 620 freshmen, which relieves pressure on the high school that contains 2,800 students in 10th-12th grades.
Designers with DLR Group and Pfluger made creative use of metal wall panels in two profiles and finishes to create the standout entrance. The plan uses ribbed, perforated panels in a Charcoal PAC-CLAD finish to create a shade canopy above the main doorway and shade the second-floor curtainwall. It also layers the panels over portions of the first floor’s curtainwall for shading and to create a neutral backdrop for the school’s signage. The sign’s bright red finish is carried to corrugated panels at the building’s base and roofline. The project also incorporates Charcoal corrugated PAC-CLAD panels elsewhere along the exterior.
All told, 24,000 square feet of Petersen’s 7.2 panels with perforations were specified, along with 3,500 square feet of corrugated panels in Charcoal finish and 8,000 square feet of the same profile in custom Scarlett. All were fabricated from .040-gauge aluminum.
ALUMINUM WALL PANELS: Petersen
THE RETROFIT
Ninth grade can be a challenge for students in districts with middle school or K-8 class groupings. The move up to a high school building comes with greater academic demands and new routines of rotating through classes and adjusting to a new social environment. Educational researchers have found many students experience achievement and grade declines during this transition. Because of these challenges, a growing number of districts are opening dedicated centers for ninth graders, either as separate floors or wings within a high school or in their own buildings.
The Westfield Ninth Grade Center is an example of the advantages such facilities can offer students at this tricky age. It is one of three dedicated ninth-grade schools the district has opened in the past several years. The center’s design, including a striking entryway incorporating a unique use of metal wall panels, helps students recognize right away that the Spring Independent School District sees them as someone special.
PHOTOS: alanblakely.com