Commercial Architecture November 2017 - 54

PROJECT

daylighting

Translucent Façade
Highlights Learning
Educational facilities
emphasize daylighting,
openness, and collaboration.

et within a 38-acre educational campus in Casper, WY, Roosevelt
High School and the Pathways Innovation Center (PIC) share
126,000 sq. ft. of learning space. Designed by Cuningham Group Ar-

chitecture, Minneapolis, with Casper-based partner MOA Architecture, the
facilities emphasize daylighting, openness, transparency, and collaboration.
Exemplifying these objectives with a translucent façade, Exterior Technologies Inc. (EXTECH), Pittsburgh, supplied Overhead Door Company of
Casper Inc., with more than 3,000 sq. ft. of its Lightwall 3440 polycarbonate
translucent wall system. Along with its standard wall system, the company
created a dual-wall construction to provide high thermal performance and
customized vertical sunscreens for aesthetic accents and light diffusion.
Beyond the need for new and updated school buildings, the Natrona
County School District's overall goal was to provide an environment that allows the advanced technology necessary to "prepare children for success in a
world we cannot yet imagine," said Scott Krenner, the project's design lead
and senior associate at Cuningham Group. "Rather than follow a traditional
vocational approach, this high school presents new pathways to success; a way
to shine that may not be found in standardized tests. Here, [students'] inventive thinking and new skills are much more visible."
As many as 500 students arrive daily at PIC from three area schools, including the adjacent Roosevelt High School. "Early on, the school district realized it wanted to increase engagement with the kids in a different way, not
just add more classrooms," explained Krenner. "Many of PIC's students are
looking at a future beyond high school that won't necessarily include a fouryear degree. This is a place where they can learn by doing and by creating. The
district worked with local industry leaders to ensure PIC teaches the skills and
tools that the trades are using right now."
Defining PIC's interactive style also influenced its structure. Krenner added, "It's not a typical brick building. It has a different look and format, too.
There wasn't a model for us to follow, so we looked outside the educational
system to find our 'ah-ha' moment." The architects discovered their inspiration in private-sector facilities, such as Boeing in Washington State, where
engineering and design teams work under one roof.

Top right. Meeting objectives by use of a translucent façade, a Casper, WY, educational facility
emphasizes daylighting, openness, transparency, and collaboration.
Right. Set within a 38-acre educational campus, Roosevelt High School and the Pathways Innovation Center (PIC) share 126,000 sq. ft. of learning space.
54

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