Badger High School, Art and Fitness Addition
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Badger High School needed space for another 500 students and updated arts facilities to serve more than 2,100. Its small weightroom was inadequate to meet the needs of athletes and the health and lifetime fitness physical-education curriculum.
The solution was two, two-story additions to minimize the footprint on an already tight 40-acre site. The 21-classroom addition accommodates more than 500 students. The art and fitness addition has several unique features, beginning with a dramatic two-story atrium and a 24-foot skylight connecting the existing building to the new.
Student works are displayed professionally in the art gallery. Each classroom/studio is designed for a different form of visual arts. Traditional studios and specialized areas are provided for pottery, metals, stained glass, photography and graphic arts. The pottery studio has 24 pottery wheels and a gas-fired kiln, which typically is found only in university-level studios.
The new 8,000-square-foot cardio/fitness center is entered through the two-story atrium and is directly accessible from the exterior for use during non-school activities. A large curtainwall offers views over the athletic fields and an adjacent state park.
A 54-inch concrete municipal storm sewer underneath the addition posed a unique challenge. Relocation was estimated at $115,000. The architect persuaded the city to allow the pipe to remain and to permit construction over the top with extra-wide footings to minimize soil pressure. Another $90,000 was saved by using utility-size brick instead of modular.
Three-inch acoustical roof deck on steel joists at 80-foot-long centers was left exposed to maximize volume. Two 5-foot-deep by 8-foot- long joist girders create a column-free space. To accommodate wide studios below and support the fitness equipment, the design uses 12-inch precast plank with 4-inch concrete topping for the second-floor structure. Air-handling units are connected to the existing hot- and chilled-water systems.
Additional Information
Capacity
500
Cost per Sq Ft
$145.57
Featured in
2008 Architectural Portfolio
Category
Specialized
Product suppliers specified
AS&U Design Competitions
The ultimate tribute to education design excellence. If selected for publication, this distinctive...
Have an exceptional project that deserves national recognition? Want to show your best work to the...
