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 CASE STUDY

The Northland Workforce Training Center

A rare historic factory is rehabilitated to its original use with the restoration
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CHALLENGE
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2017
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JANUARY 2022
NEWS
15 Brooks + Scarpa Win 2022 AIA Gold
Medal; Firm Award Goes to MASS
Design Group By Fred A. Bernstein
18 Oriol Bohigas, 1925–2021 By David Cohn
20 Design and Healing Exhibition at the
Cooper Hewitt By Gideon Fink Shapiro
22 Biden Outlines Federal
Decarbonization Plan
By Pam McFarland
DEPARTMENTS
12 EDITOR’S LETTER: The News
About Diversity in Architecture
25 HOUSE OF THE MONTH: Analog
House, Lake Tahoe, California OLSON
KUNDIG & FAULKNER ARCHITECTS
By Wendy Moonan
31 UP-CLOSE: Icefjord Center, Greenland
DORTE MANDRUP By Tim Abrahams
35 GUESS THE ARCHITECT
37 BOOK: Architecture
Unbound: A Century of the Disruptive
Avant-Garde, by Joseph Giovannini
Reviewed by Anthony Vilder
47 PRODUCTS: Education
By Sheila Kim
48 PRODUCTS: Building Envelope
By Sheila Kim
BUILDING TYPE STUDY 1,037
K-12 SCHOOLS
65 Introduction
66 Thaden School, Bentonville,
Arkansas ESKEW DUMEZ RIPPLE,
MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS
AND ANDROPOGON By Beth Broome
74 Groupe Scolaire Antoine de Ruffi,
Marseille TAUTEM ARCHITECTURE
By Andrew Ayers
80 Grant High School, Portland,
Oregon MAHLUM ARCHITECTS
By Randy Gragg
86 Discovery Building at Santa
Monica High School, California
MOORE RUBLE YUDELL AND HED
By Sarah Amelar
92 Samuel Powel Elementary
School and Science Leadership
Academy Middle School,
Philadelphia ROGERS PARTNERS
By James S. Russell, FAIA
PROJECTS
51 Amant Art Center, Brooklyn, New York
SO – IL By Josephine Minutillo
56 Taipei Music Center, Taiwan
REISER+UMEMOTO By Fred A. Bernstein
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
39 Pivadenco Rural School, Los
Sauces, Chile MAPAA ARCHITECTURE
STUDIO + DUQUE MOTTA
By Jennifer Krichels
42 Marygrove Early Education
Center, Detroit MARLON BLACKWELL
ARCHITECTS By David Sokol
44 Devland SOWETO Education
Campus, Johannesburg
WILLIAM REUE ARCHITECTURE
By David Sokol
CONTINUING EDUCATION
100 Climate Adaptation: DESIGNERS CREATE
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT RESPOND
TO THE WARMING PLANET.
By Joann Gonchar, FAIA
124 Dates & Events
128 SNAPSHOT: The Famalicão Municipal
Market RUI MENDES RIBEIRO By Ilana Herzig
THIS PAGE: GROUPE SCOLAIRE ANTOINE DE RUFFI, MARSEILLE, FRANCE,
BY TAUTEM ARCHITECTURE. PHOTO BY LUC BOEGLY.
Expanded coverage at architecturalrecord.com.
COVER: ICEFJORD CENTER, GREENLAND, BY DORTE
MANDRUP. PHOTO © ADAM MØRK
9
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IN THIS ISSUE

Photo courtesy of Robert Stefanowicz Photography/3A Composites

Photo courtesy of Watts

Photo courtesy of Marvin
Photo: jamesteohart/Adobe Stock
Photo: Brad Feinknopf/OTTO; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products

p116
p118
p108
The Top 10 Ways to Reduce
Concrete's Carbon p117 Cladding Safety with Metal
Health and Safety in Footprint Composite Material (MCM)
Hospitality and Retail and the NFPA 285-19 p120
Sponsored by Build with
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Beyond Function: Designing Sponsored by Metal
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Products, CornellCookson, with Exterior Glass Doors to Construction Association's Optimizing Snow-
National Ready Mixed Concrete
Mitsubishi Electric, Improve Well-Being Metal Composite Material Melting Systems
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and Tamlyn CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; Sponsored by Marvin (MCM) Alliance Sponsored by Watts
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Designing With Your Ears New Acoustical Options in Specialty Workplace Acoustics
Sponsored by Armstrong Ceiling and Seamless Ceiling Systems Sponsored by Armstrong Ceiling
and Wall Solutions Sponsored by Armstrong Ceiling and and Wall Solutions
CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW; Wall Solutions CREDIT: 1 AIA LU/HSW
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The Aluminum Advantage in High- Reducing Peak Energy Demand: ADA Signage: Mastering the
Performance Windows and Doors The Hidden Benefit of Cool Roofs Compliance Basics
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10 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 FAIRFOREST MIDDLE SCHOOL, SPARTANBURG, SC
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PHOTOGRAPHER: David Laudadio
 From the EDITOR
The News About Diversity in Architecture
While some women are gaining long overdue recognition in the profession, gender
and racial biases persist, says a new report.
THERE WAS REASON to celebrate diversity in
architecture last month. The AIA awarded the Gold
Medal to the wife-husband team of Angela Brooks
and Larry Scarpa, founders of the Los Angeles firm
Brooks + Scarpa, known for their design and advocacy
work for affordable housing (page 15). They are the
second couple to win the AIA’s highest prize (Robert
Venturi and Denise Scott Brown were first, in 2016),
and Brooks is only the third woman honored in the
medal’s 115-year history (Julia Morgan was the other,
awarded posthumously in 2014).
A day later, the AIA (with the ACSA) announced
that its Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architec-
tural Education would go to Deborah Berke, dean of
the Yale School of Architecture since 2016, who also
runs a successful New York practice. (Berke was simi-
larly honored in October by record with a Women in
Architecture Design Leadership award.)
Are we finally hearing the glass shatter in the
ceiling—or at least the sound of a good crack?
Well, not so fast. The same week the AIA was busy
handing out its annual honors, the organization also
released a long-awaited report on bias in the profes-
sion—and the 192-page document paints a picture
that is shocking but, unfortunately, not surprising.
Led by legal scholar Joan C. Williams, from the
University of California’s Hastings College of the Law,
the AIA-commissioned study was based on surveys of
1,346 architects, in firms of every size, examining
racial bias as well as gender. “I don’t do gender without
racial bias,” says Williams, who has studied the work-
place in seven professions, including engineering and
law, through the Center For WorkLife Law she found-
ed at Hastings. “It doesn’t make sense,” she adds,
“because in this and every other study, white men’s
experience emerges as different from every other
group, and the experience of women of color is the
most divergent from that of white men.”
The architecture study looked at a range of demo-
graphic groups, including Native American profession-
als and those who identified as having lower socioeco-
nomic status. The most significant finding was that
Black and multiracial women reported the worst expe-
riences in a variety of work situations.
Just a few takeaways from the study:
• Two-thirds of Black architecture professionals,
both men and women, said they had experi-
enced racism in their workplaces.
• 70 percent of white women and 61 percent of
women of color reported experiencing sexism
in their workplace, compared with less than a
quarter of white men and men of color.
12 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
• Over 50 percent of Black women reported
being left out of information-sharing networks
in their workplaces.
• Over 40 percent of Black architecture profes-
sionals reported being unable to see a long-
term future in their current workplaces, com-
pared to only 20 percent of white men.
• More than half of women of color and white
women, along with 30 percent of men of color,
reported having questions addressed to someone
else when they were the expert; nearly 65 per-
cent of Black women reported that experience.
People working at large firms—50 or more people—
reported more bias than those in smaller offices. In
addition, Williams says, people who worked at the rela-
tively few firms where “good design” is considered the
product of a “solitary genius”—rather than a team—re-
ported much higher levels of bias and sexual harassment,
though those statistics were not broken out in the report.
Across the board, “the data on access to design work
is truly disheartening,” says Williams. One stunning
statistic: 88 percent of men said they were allowed to
develop design ideas but only 61 percent of women of
color said so: “Multiracial women, Native American,
Alaska Native, Indigenous, and other underrepresented
architectural professionals were the least likely to report
being able to develop and present design ideas.”
What Williams calls “the Maternal Wall bias” is
often cited as the reason women leave the profession—
women who have children cannot deal with the de-
mands of the work—but she believes thwarted ambi-
tions to be designers could be a factor too. “They’re
making tremendous sacrifices for work that isn’t very
fulfilling,” she notes.
Among the few positive observations in this damn-
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JENNA-BETH LYDE
ing document: “Racism and sexism in the profession
were so open that we found a pattern of white men
noting it with distaste, something we found in no
other industry.”
It is those white men who have the power to bring
about real change to the inequitable workplace they
have perpetuated. Gentlemen, if you’re disgusted,
please do something about it—and then do more.
Cathleen McGuigan, Editor in Chief
The AIA is to be applauded for publishing this report.
Go to aia.org to read it.
 Record NEWS
Comfortable with aesthetic, practical, political, and functional issues, they have mapped an architectural path
that is as didactic as it is successful. They are tireless students of architecture with a tremendous passion and
commitment to the field.
—Thom Mayne, 2013 AIA Gold Medal Winner, in a letter nominating Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa for the award.

Brooks and Scarpa, MASS Design Group, Win AIA’s Top Annual Awards
BY FRED A. BERNSTEIN

ON DECEMBER 9, the American Institute

of Architects awarded its 2022 Gold Medal to
Brooks + Scarpa, a Los Angeles firm best
known for designing affordable housing,
but active in many other areas. The award
puts founders Angela Brooks and Lawrence
Scarpa in the company of Renzo Piano, Frank
Gehry, and Thomas Jefferson (one of several
posthumous recipients of the medal). Also
last month, the AIA gave its annual Archi­
tecture Firm Award to MASS Design Group,
the Boston­based nonprofit with a social­
justice mission.
Together, the two awards signal greater
recognition of the collaborative nature of the
profession. Brooks and Scarpa are the second
couple to be awarded the Gold Medal (after
Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in
2016). And MASS is almost certainly the
first self­described collective to receive the
firm award.
“It feels great to be honored with MASS,”
said Brooks by phone from California, “since
we’re all advocating for design with a higher
purpose.” Added Scarpa: “We told Michael
Angela Brooks and Lawrence
[Murphy, founding principal and executive Scarpa (above) and their 2016
director of MASS] it’s really good that people Los Angeles housing project,
doing good things are getting recognition.” The SIX, for homeless
In their efforts to get affordable housing veterans (left).
built, Brooks and Scarpa have worked with
advocacy groups and involved themselves in
state and local politics in order to remove legal
barriers to the creation of better buildings and
neighborhoods. Said Brooks, “We try to think
about issues beyond our property lines.”
And their practice also extends beyond
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JEFF DURKIN (TOP); TARA WUJCIK (BOTTOM)

housing. “We’re pretty diverse. We’ll do a

doghouse if you ask us to,” said Scarpa jovi­
ally. In fact, the firm is working on a “col­
laboratory” for the College of Design, Con­
struction and Planning at the University of
Florida. (The couple met there as students
and moved to California after marrying in
1987.) Other commissions range from a
Holocaust memorial in Tallahassee to a re­
vival of the historic flower market in down­
town Los Angeles. Their biggest project is a
1.2 million­square­foot government building
in Saudi Arabia that is expected to generate
nearly all of its own energy.
Brooks + Scarpa, in its previous incarnation
as Pugh + Scarpa, won the firm award in 2010.
“We were so excited then,” said Scarpa. “And
it’s nice to know that more than a decade later,
people still think what we’re doing matters.”
In a letter supporting the firm’s nomination,
Robert Berkebile, founder emeritus of BNIM
in Kansas City, wrote: “Simply put, their lead­
ership in and out of the office is an inspiration
to architects across the country.”
This year’s Firm Award winner is also doing
work that matters. “We’re beyond humbled,”
said Murphy, reached in New York, where he
was launching his new book, The Architecture of
Health, and opening a companion exhibition
curated by MASS at the Cooper Hewitt,
Smithsonian Design Museum (see exhibition
review, page 20). “I think one of the reasons
this is so meaningful to us is that we have
structured our practice in a way that some have

See daily updates at architecturalrecord.com

15
 Record NEWS
thought of as ‘alternative.’ ” MASS is a non-
profit, values-driven collective with decentral-
ized decision-making. “This award,” Murphy
continued, “validates that there are different
ways to practice architecture, and I think it
opens the door for a diversity of practice mod-
els. And that means there will be more ways to
bring architecture to more people who need it.”
MASS (which stands for Model of Archi-
tecture Serving Society) was founded in 2008
by Murphy and Alan Ricks, a classmate at
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Har vard University’s Graduate School of
Design. The firm is best known for its hospi-
tals in Africa, a cholera-treatment center in
Haiti, and the astonishing National Memorial
for Peace and Justice—a tribute to victims of
lynchings—in Montgomery, Alabama.
Its current projects include a new welcome
center for the historic Africatown community
in Mobile, Alabama; a memorial to Martin
Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King on the
Boston Common; and the Ellen DeGeneres
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MASS Design Group was recognized by the AIA
for working “tirelessly to ignite systemic change
in the built environment through its mission-
driven process.”
Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, in
Rwanda. MASS’s first project was Rwanda’s
Butaro District Hospital. The firm now has a
thriving office of 80 people in the capital city,
Kigali, staffed largely by Rwandans, including
some of the first women architects, landscape
architects, and engineers in that country.
Altogether, MASS has more than 200 em-
ployees and has spawned MASS.Made, a
furniture design and fabrication team, and
MASS.Build, a construction company.
Rahul Mehrotra, chair of the Department
PHOTOGRAPHY: © CHRIS SCHWAGGA
of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard’s
GSD, in a letter supporting MASS’s nomina-
tion, wrote that he admired the firm’s “com-
mitment to equate justice and beauty in our
built environment. Too often, we experience
the opposite in the architecture profession,
where beauty in design is privatized for a
select population.” n
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 Record NEWS
Oriol Bohigas, Architect Who Transformed Barcelona, Dies at 95
BY DAVID COHN
THE SPANISH architect
Oriol Bohigas, who died
November 30 at the age of 95,
led the remarkable urban
transformation of Barcelona
that culminated in the 1992
Summer Olympics. He took
charge of Barcelona’s urban
planning in 1980, under the
first democratically elected
Socialist mayor, Narcís Serra.
His programs revitalized the
Oriol Bohigas
city’s degraded medieval core,
regenerated postindustrial
sites and the working-class periphery, and
reconnected the city to the Mediterranean.
His projects, over 145 in all, included
elegant urban plazas and parks festooned with
monumental sculptures by Richard Serra,
Eduardo Chillida, and Joan Miró. His master
plan for the Olympic Village was a model
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urban enclave along the re-
stored beachfront.
At his urging, the city rebuilt
Mies van der Rohe’s 1929
Barcelona Pavilion on its origi-
nal site, and promoted quality
public and private design. He
became a local power broker,
nurturing a new generation of
architects.
Bohigas arrived at this
position after struggling
through Spain’s decades of
dictatorship. He spent his
formative years in the innovative Catalan
schools of the short-lived Second Republic in
the 1930s, and imbibed their spirit of progres-
sive thinking and civic responsibility.
He was a prolific architect with his partners
Josep Martorell and David Mackay, but made
his strongest mark as a writer, teacher, and
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architecture school, the ETSAB, in 1951, he
joined the nascent Grupo R, and they began
promoting modern architecture in a city
dominated by a tame Neoclassicism.
In 1957, he turned his attention to FAD, an
organization dedicated to the decorative arts,
and launched its prestigious awards programs.
He wrote magazine columns and books, advo-
cating a Barcelona School of regional realism.
He helped found the critical journal Arqui­
tecturas bis in 1974 and the progressive publish-
ing house Edicions 62, which he headed from
1977 to 1999. In the 1960s and ’70s he lost his
professorship at the ETSAB twice, for joining
a student strike and for refusing to swear alle-
giance to the dictatorship. He was named
director of the school in 1977 and oversaw its
modernization amid the tumult of student
activism. He left the position in 1980 to take on
the modernization of Barcelona as a whole. n
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 Record NEWS
Design and Healing Exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Offers
Creative Responses to Epidemics
BY GIDEON FINK SHAPIRO
HEALING, in its amorphous holism,
doesn’t easily translate into a design brief
or an architectural program. But a visit to
the exhibition Design and Healing: Creative
Responses to Epidemics at the Cooper Hewitt,
Smithsonian Design Museum shows that
healing is not altogether elusive, nor incom-
patible with design.
Cocurated by Boston-based MASS Design
Group (see page 15) and Cooper Hewitt’s Ellen
Lupton, the exhibition, which runs through
February 20, highlights design interventions
fueled by an indomitable spirit of care that cuts
across cultures and disciplines—before and
during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lupton was
inspired, she said, by the variety of creative
work “initiated by people and organizations,
not big government agencies,” from zero-waste
scrubs to daily information graphics.
Architecture anchors but doesn’t dominate
the show, which ranges in scale from virus
particles to bodies, objects, buildings, cities,
and regions. Select hospital-design projects by
MASS demonstrate how professional archi-
tects can magnify their impact by partnering
with community advocates—and learning
from history. For example, the firm’s
GHESKIO Tuberculosis Hospital in Haiti,
with its directional cross-ventilation, court-
yard-facing verandas, and thermal roof ple-
num, is presented next to Alvar and Aino
Aalto’s Paimio Sanitorium, a model of hu-
mane design in which the designers “consid-
ered everything from chairs and sinks to
closets and beds,” and “leveraged the best
science available,” the curators write. Healing
architecture, though sanitary, is not strictly
minimal. It can be layered and generous.
The curators do not shy from the ethical
and political dimensions of healing. That’s a
wise move, since the power of healing as a
concept—and as a call to action—seems to
derive from its blend of empirical data, quali-
tative perceptions, and value judgments.
People who feel uncared for, researchers say,
are more likely to mistrust public health
campaigns. That’s part of why healing is
about social and environmental justice as well
as personal and community health.
Included in the show are mutual-aid tool-
kits, activist posters, and tennis player Naomi
Osaka’s face masks emblazoned with the names
20 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
of Black people who died at the
hands of police. These, along
with turban- and hijab-friendly
face masks designed in 2020 are
part of Cooper Hewitt’s Re-
sponsive Collecting Initiative, a
novel approach in which staff
across the museum, not just
curators, nominate objects for
acquisition.
Occupying a series of galler-
ies on the museum’s ground
floor, Design and Healing closes
with a dramatic sense of com-
pression and release. The wood-
paneled walls of the Cooper
Hewitt’s former Carnegie man-
sion are obscured as visitors pass through a tent
module that evokes the field hospitals hastily
erected in American cities last year—at least
one of which MASS helped design on the fly.
A burst of light and space awaits on the other
side of the tent: the former solarium, recon-
ceived as a “breathing space” furnished with
floppy shag cushions of colorful, recycled
fabric. I could feel my body and mind relax.
Daylight and fresh air—more specifically,
the management of air that vulnerable pa-
tients and caregivers inhale and exhale—take
center stage in one of two excellent books that
accompany the exhibition, The Architecture of
Health: Hospital Design and the Construction of
Dignity. Author and MASS founding princi-
pal Michael P. Murphy Jr. opens the volume
Clockwise from top left: MASS
Design Group’s 2015 GHESKIO
Tuberculosis Hospital in Port-au-
Prince, Haiti; Norwegian design
studio ANTI’s Ventizolve, an
emergency naloxone kit that can
temporarily reverse the effects of
a lethal opioid overdose; and
Danielle Elsener’s zero-waste
open-source scrub kit.
with a recollection of visiting
his father in a hospital and
feeling “shocked” at the facil-
ity’s inhospitable, inhuman
aspects. Advocating for “archi-
tecture as a human right,”
PHOTOGRAPHY: © IWAN BAAN (TOP, LEFT); COOPER HEWITT (TOP, RIGHT AND BTTOM)
Murphy offers a typological
study of hospitals over the past
thousand years, then analyzes dozens of
fascinating case studies, frequently returning
to themes of dignity and justice. A second
publication gathers and contextualizes works
from the exhibition: a new edition of Health
Design Thinking: Creating Products and
Services for Better Health, coauthored by
Lupton and physician Bon Ku.
It remains to be seen whether design can
help bridge the gap between what curator
Lupton calls, with reference to vaccination
rates, “unprecedented scientific victories and
unexpected failures of communication.” But
with Design and Healing, a parade of creative
and critical innovations lets us glimpse the
seeds of a more caring world sprouting from
the cracks of institutional authority. n
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 Record NEWSMAKER
President Biden Outlines Federal
Decarbonization Plan
BY PAM MCFARLAND
A NEW PRESIDENTIAL executive order
that calls for major reductions in greenhouse-
gas emissions from federal buildings and
facilities could have sweeping impacts for
construction and design firms that do busi-
ness for the federal government.
President Joe Biden’s December 8 directive
calls for federal agencies to collectively reduce
facility emissions 50 percent below 2008 levels
by 2032, and have a net zero operating carbon
emission building portfolio by 2045. Other
goals include moving
away from fossil fuels
by electrifying govern-
ment-owned buildings
and vehicles, and
achieving net zero
emissions from federal
procurement efforts no
later than 2050.
The order instructs
federal agencies and
newly created task forces
to develop plans and President Biden at the Glasgow Climate
policies to reach the Change Conference in November.
target reductions and
goals. One, called Buy Clean, will focus on
developing a plan to promote using construc-
tion materials that have less embodied carbon.
Nick Goldstein, vice president of legal and
regulatory affairs at the American and Road
Transportation Builders Association, says it is
“too early to tell” the specifics of how Buy
Clean policies will be enacted, but “it’s some-
thing we’ll be taking a look at” to gauge po-
tential impact on the association’s members.
As the federal government’s prime real-
estate agent, the U.S. General Services
Administration will play a key role in helping
agencies achieve the goals outlined in Biden’s
order. GSA is responsible for a real-estate
portfolio of more than 370 million square feet
and oversees more than $75 billion in annual
contracts; it is also the primary agency pro-
curing government electricity. “From day one,
GSA has been excited about revitalizing
government-wide sustainability, and we are
now positioned to help,” GSA deputy admin-
istrator Katy Kale said in a statement.
A long-term approach spanning several
administrations will be needed to achieve the
goals, which are ambitious, says Cliff Majer-
22 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
sik, senior advisor for the Institute for Market
Transformation. The target reductions in
greenhouse-gas emissions are “stretch” goals
that will require “big changes in how the
government operates, designs, and constructs
its buildings, and also makes decisions about
where to build buildings, and which buildings
to build,” he says.
Majersik adds that the administration is
planning to roll out a proposal for a new build-
ing-performance standard early next year as
part of its efforts to reduce
emissions. “Performance
standards are the most
powerful policies that are
driving improvement in
the building sector,” he
says, and having one in
place would send a strong
signal to the private sector.
Building-energy-
performance standards
have been adopted in a
handful of states and
counties, but a 1980s
effort to adopt one for
federal buildings ultimately failed.
Response to Biden’s order was positive
among renewable-energy and environmental
advocates. In a statement, Gregory Wetstone,
president and CEO of the American Council
on Renewable Energy, said the directive will
help “catalyze the development of thousands
of megawatts of new pollution-free power,
leading to a cleaner grid and more good-
paying jobs for American workers.” He added
the effort will be enhanced through the Build
Back Better Act, which includes tax incen-
tives for renewable-energy projects.
But some GOP lawmakers chafed at
Biden’s directive. “With this action, he’s
telling millions of Americans who provide
most of the energy we use every day that he
thinks they should be thrown out of work,”
said John Barrasso of Wyoming, ranking
member of the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee, in a statement.
“What’s worse, he wants to use the power of
the federal government to do it.” n
This story first appeared in Engineering
News-Record.
NEWS in Brief
Topaz Medallion Goes to
Deborah Berke
The AIA and the Association of Collegiate
Schools of Architecture awarded the Topaz
Medallion for Excellence in Architectural
Education to Deborah Berke, whose career
has centered around equitable access to
architectural education, from spearheading
diversification as Yale School of Architecture’s
first woman dean to developing an
undergraduate urban-studies major.
Doshi Receives Royal Gold Medal
Balkrishna Doshi is receiving RIBA’s 2022
Royal Gold Medal, in honor of his pioneering
modernism informed by a deep appreciation of
the traditions of India’s architecture, climate,
culture, and craft. Born in 1927 in Pune, India,
Doshi worked with Le Corbusier in Paris
and India before joining Louis Kahn for over
a decade. He founded his own practice,
Vastushilpa, in 1956.
Lesley Lokko Curates
Architecture Biennale
Lokko has been appointed the curator of the
2023 Venice Biennale Architettura. The
Ghanaian-Scottish architect was dean of
architecture at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer
School of Architecture, CCNY, in 2019–20,
before she resigned and founded the African
Futures Institute in Accra, Ghana. Her work in
both architecture and literature has looked at the
relationships among race, culture, and space.
69
70 65
61 59
60
59
50 56
50 53 51
40 44
30
20
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
N D J F M A M J J A S O N
2020 2021
INQUIRIES BILLINGS
ABI Score Continues to Slide
The AIA’s latest data show that the Architectural
Billings Index eased to 51 in November, down
from 54.3 in October, but still above the
benchmark of 50 (scores over 50 indicate an
increase in firm billings). New inquiries and
contracts have slowed down since last month,
from 62.9 to 59.4, and 58 to 55.8, respectively.
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 HOUSE of the Month
TOM KUNDIG AND GREGORY FAULKNER COLLABORATE ON THE DESIGN OF FAULKNER’S HOUSE IN LAKE TAHOE. BY WENDY MOONAN

WHY WOULD a talented architect like

Berkeley-based Gregory Faulkner turn to the
celebrated Seattle architect Tom Kundig to
design a house for himself and his wife, Lesa?
And why would Kundig get involved in a
house for another architect? The answer lies
in the process of collaboration.
Faulkner began thinking about this notion
when he and Lesa stayed at Peter Zumthor’s
Swiss spa, Therme Vals, some years ago.
Zumthor was there as well, and Faulkner
enjoyed talking with him over the next sev-
eral days; it made him wonder what it might
be like to collaborate with another architect.
Later, the Faulkners bought 2.5 acres in a
Ponderosa pine forest near Lake Tahoe,
California. The couple knew the area;
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JOE FLETCHER

Faulkner has a second office in nearby

Truckee, where he designed several houses

Spare and easy to clean, the house is located

among Ponderosa pines (right). Its dining
room (top) has oak-slatted acoustical ceilings
and black steel columns.

25
 HOUSE of the Month

(record, September 2021). Lesa, a designer,

runs the interiors department at the firm.
After Faulkner heard Kundig give a talk at
the Museum of Fine Arts in Reno, he asked
Kundig about designing his own house, where
he would be a collaborator as well as the
client. “Tom was all in,” he says.
Kundig, founding principal of Olson
Kundig, recalls, “I knew who Greg was, so I
definitely had a sense of ‘This is going to be
interesting!’ To be under the scrutiny of a
terrific architect who’s been delivering great
work is no small task. Greg and I are both old
enough to be mature and confident in our
voices and ability to work together as designers.
But I was nervous.” They began meeting and
trading sketches, while the Faulkners staked
out the site to determine the proper orientation
of the house for views and circulation.
After 18 months of design development
(with Olson Kundig’s Steve Grim as project
architect), they had conceived a 5,420-square-
foot house. Kundig calls it “one of the most
satisfying architectural conversations I’ve
been involved with.” The plan “is almost like
a hike through the forest,” Kundig adds, since
the pines are very close to the house. (Only
five were removed.)
The Faulkners placed the various rooms
along an extended U-shaped interior corridor,
with the main bedroom at the far end, for
privacy when the couple’s six children—ages
19 to 35—and one grandchild come to visit.
Their bedroom adjoins the living room and
sits across an open courtyard from the wing
containing the garage and the bunkroom.
Linking the two volumes at the bottom of the
U is the entrance, dining room, breakfast
room, and kitchen. A 42-foot-tall steel-
sheathed tower above the breakfast room
contains two bedrooms and a roof deck with a
firepit.
True, the plan is attenuated. (Lesa
Faulkner says she wanted breakfast to be a
“journey” from the bedroom, because that
morning walk is when she collects her
11
thoughts.)
7 2
The entry, which you reach after walking
9 10 8 along the interior corridor past the garage
3
wing, is halfway around the courtyard. Still,
placing the living room away from the cook-
1
ing/eating area and next to the main bedroom
PHOTOGRAPHY: © JOE FLETCHER

4 6 suite seems unusual.

5
1 ENTRY 7 LIVING
“This building is like playing billiards: it
2 GARAGE 8 SITTING
bounces off the existing context, so you expe-
3 BUNKROOM 9 MAIN BEDROOM rience moments in the forest,” Kundig says.
4 DINING 10 CLOSET Sliding glass doors, floor-to-ceiling windows,
0 32 FT. 5 BREAKFAST 11 COURTYARD and poured-in-place concrete walls frame
FLOOR PLAN
10 M. 6 KITCHEN calculated views.

26 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
The living room, detached from the dining
pavilion (opposite), has poured-concrete walls
and an acoustical plaster ceiling (above). The
main bedroom, located nearby, is lined with
oak (right).

With concrete walls and steel framing, the

house is geared to be as fire-resistant as pos-
sible. In designing the interior, Lesa commis-
sioned elegantly detailed steel tables, cabinets,
light fixtures, a fire screen, and door hard-
ware from Kundig’s metal-fabrication shop,
12th Avenue Iron, in Seattle.
The collaboration proved successful.
“Tom’s an architect’s architect,” Faulkner says.
“It is all about the work, with no real exposed
personal ego. It was really a fifty-fifty team
effort.” Adds Kundig: “Greg is the kind of
architect who does it all from beginning to
end.” The two have named it the Analog
House, because, Faulkner says, “it’s more
about the form and light and space and less
about digital technology and gimmickry.” n

27
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A Division of Bobrick
CLOSE-UP
DORTE MANDRUP’S ICEFJORD CENTER IN GREENLAND CURVES INTO ITS SITE LIKE PART OF THE DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE. BY TIM ABRAHAMS

ON THE WESTERN coast of Greenland, 150 miles north of the

Arctic Circle, the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier—the most productive in the
northern hemisphere—disgorges more than 38 billion tons of ice
annually into an ice fjord. The large icebergs that calve off the glacier
and float down this ice fjord—improbably called Disko Bay—toward
the open sea create one of the great spectacles of the Arctic. The
Icefjord Center provides a view of that spectacle. It is a short walk
along a pathway from the outskirts of Ilulisat, an old whaling settle-
ment of some 5,000 inhabitants, the third-largest town in Greenland.
The walk is along a track through low grassland that is covered in
snow much of the year. The structure overlooks a small inland lake and
stands where the track breaks into three paths, all of which lead into a
UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the fjord and the glacier.
Just outside the UNESCO protected zone, the long, low, curving
Icefjord Center is also a piece of landscape, providing intrepid visitors
with a roof terrace for their first glimpse of the icebergs, which are
sometimes more than half a mile high and occasionally set off great
waves crashing across the bay. According to Dorte Mandrup, the
Copenhagen-based architect of the Center, “You couldn’t see the
PHOTOGRAPHY: © ADAM MØRK

icefjord from the site we had [a former heliport]. By making a boomer-

ang shape, and placing it on the edge of the site, cantilevering it out
toward the lake, we can give visitors the chance to see the icefjord and
also learn about its importance.” The 161,000-square-foot building

Icebergs—broken off from the largest glacier in the northern

hemisphere—are best viewed from the center’s roof deck (top and right).

31
 CLOSE-UP

ROUTE OVER
THE ROOF

WOOD-CLAD
ROOF-TERRACE

WOOD AND
GLASS
FACADE

WOODEN DECK
AND CORES

STEEL
STRUCTURE

EXPLODED ISOMETRIC

The steel frames, wood, and prefabricated
facade system (top, middle, bottom) were
imported, like all building materials in Greenland.
rests on a raised steel frame to enable it to lean
out over the slope and to leave as small a
footprint as possible. The bedrock in which
the structure is anchored is the oldest in the
world, and the architects wanted to remove
very little.
Any structure in Greenland must be built
with imported materials. Using a series of 52
unique steel frames, the center is 400 feet
down the middle of the curve. Its section
slowly changes as visitors walk through it; it is
triangular at the north entrance and becomes
rectangular before returning to triangular at
the south end. The building is 21½ feet from
floor to ceiling on average, although it is
slightly taller at either end.
The architect has placed these frames in
the boomerang plan and arranged them to
create a gracefully curving roof. Although
most of the wood used in the building is

32 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 An exhibition about ice is in an open-plan
gallery (right).

robust akoya, the roof terrace decking is

oak, with cellular glass insulation. The
facade system is prefabricated, made from
aluminum with mounted wood profiles and
triple-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows.
When visitors walk into the building,
they pass through this series of frames and
encounter three wood-framed and clad
freestanding structures resting on the deck:
first is the ticket office, then a café and
cinema—with an exhibition gallery stand-
ing in the open plan—and finally an office.
Wisely, the Icefjord Center does not
seek to compete with the drama of the
birth of an iceberg. Nor does it just meet
the basic necessities of a visitors center.
Mandrup has managed to create a building
that not only celebrates the journey to see
these wonders but helps explain, in a time
of global warming, man’s evolving relation-
ship with the ecology of ice. n

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 Guess the Architect Contest
ENTER NOW! A monthly contest from the editors of RecoRd asks you to guess
the architect for a work of historical importance.

CLUE: THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM FOR THIS HIGH SCHOOL HAS BEEN CONSIDERED
AVANT-GARDE SINCE THE LATE 1960S. THE SCHOOL IT DESIGNED IN A MAJOR U.S. CITY
EXPLORES A SCULPTURAL CONSTRUCTIVIST VOCABULARY APPROPRIATE FOR THE
VISUAL- AND PERFORMING-ARTS PROGRAM. A TOWER WITH A SPIRALING RAMP SITS
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PHOTOGRAPHY: © ROLAND HALBE (TOP); BRAD FEINKNOPF (BOTTOM)

DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD.

The architect for the Wexner Center for Visual Arts at Ohio State University, in Columbus, is
Peter Eisenman, who was affiliated with a local firm, Trott Architects, for the project. The building,
completed in 1989, is known for its linear white scaffolding, its turret-like shards, which refer to an
armory that once stood on the site, and the strong imprimatur of Eisenman’s theoretical investigations.

By entering, you have a chance to win an iPad mini.

See the complete rules and entry form online at architecturalrecord.com/guessthearchitect.

35
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BOOKS
Deconstruct This
Architecture Unbound: A Century of the
Disruptive Avant-Garde, by Joseph Giovannini.
Rizzoli, 831 pages, $50.
REVIEWED BY ANTHONY VIDLER
THE EXTRAORDINARY festival of
formal inventiveness that has dominated the
architectural world since the 1980s—a festival
that was initially stimulated by opposition to
the historicist Postmodernism of the 1960s
and ’70s—has produced some of the most
powerful, monumental statements of the early
21st century. Fueled by digital parametricism
in design and innovative engineering tech-
nologies, the new “deconstructive” forms
exhibited as a small avant-garde movement at
New York’s MoMA in 1988 are now in mul-
tiple transformations sought after in corporate
boardrooms and by cultural foundations
worldwide. Beginning with the dramatic story
of Coop Himmelb(l)au’s transition from
anti-architectural radicals in the 1960s to the
architects of the European Central Bank
headquarters in 2015, the critic and frequent
record contributor Joseph Giovannini traces
the history of what he sees as a continuous
avant-garde movement, from 1920s
Expressionists to the neo-avant-garde
Deconstructionists and their contemporary
offspring. “Disruptive” and “constructively
irrational,” this is a tendency that has, he
argues, always run parallel to more “static”
modernisms, but is now released through
digitalization, into its full force. Assembling a
brilliantly illustrated roster of stories, anec-
dotes, and critical assessments of the work of
a wide range of protagonists, tracing their
varied careers, precedents, interrelations, and
academic and institutional histories, he has
produced an extraordinary 831-page, 2½"-
thick volume, with suitably exuberant vertigo-
testing graphics to match.
Here Gehry, Koolhaas, Tschumi, Libes-
kind, and Hadid find their place beside
Matta-Clark, Laurie Anderson, and Vito
Acconci in a cultural history of the postwar
period’s revolt against rationalism. Unlikely
juxtapositions, visually acute comparisons, and
a narrative that sweepingly takes us through
the heady climates at London’s Architectural
Association and New York’s Institute of
Architecture and Urban Studies, as well as
dance halls and performance spaces, add up to
a rich retrospective vision of our recent pres-
ent. The author’s own background in literary
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studies and architecture provide a parallel and
knowledgeable account of the theoretical
debates of the era as being intimately linked to
its formal inventions. The French are here in
force, of course, but also Lebbeus Woods, that
powerful voice of opposition through drawing,
and Ann Bergren, the feminist theorist who
elucidated Derrida for architects with classicist
eloquence. In this redressing of imbalances,
one especially welcome in the light of her
premature death at age 65, Zaha Hadid finally
finds her place as a stubborn pioneer of an
architecture that has yet to be fully explored—
one only intimated in the works of the previ-
ous generation.
Refreshing in its refusal to fall into the
polemics of star architecture critiques, this is a
tale of an architecture that Giovannini sees as
having finally caught up with the “shape-
shifting” sciences and art movements of the
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enthusiastic supporter, a generational sympa-
thizer, and an informative companion on the
reader’s voyage through these assembled texts,
Giovaninni traces paths through biographies,
mini-histories of groups, and cultural erup-
tions that underlie his approach to the history
of the period. In one sense, we are treated to
the author’s personal journal, beginning with
his witnessing of the Parisian uprisings of
1968 but, in another, to the mature retrospec-
tion of a fellow architect who has, over the
many years since, faithfully and engagingly
documented the unfolding of this “movement”
as it has, in so many different ways, attempted
to create an architecture that moves. n
Anthony Vidler is professor at and former dean of
the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture,
Cooper Union, and a historian and critic of Sound control in modular panels.
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www.neolith.com
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Pivadenco Rural School

Los Sauces, Chile | MAPAA + Duque Motta

SINCE THE 1990s, the Araucanía region of

Chile has been the site of intensifying conflict
between indigenous Mapuche communities and
the government, which has permitted large
forestry contractors and others to take over
historical lands. Amid this ongoing dispute—
which goes back to the late 19th century—the
region has become one of the poorest in Chile.
In an attempt to preserve and foster the lan-
guage and culture of the indigenous people

39
 EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

there, in 2016, the country’s Ministry of

Education launched an architectural competi-
tion to bring schools to these remote areas,
about 400 miles south of Santiago.
1 1 5
“In these scattered rural territories, the
school is the center of community life,” says
Cristián Larraín, partner and director of
3
MAPAA Architecture Studio, which in
collaboration with architecture firm Duque
Motta was awarded the task of developing
four of eight schools commissioned through
the Rural Schools of Araucanía initiative.
“We sought to define a common strategy for
4 6
the four schools, based on understanding the
building not only as an educational center, but 2
also as the social center of a territory,” says
Larraín, who founded MAPAA Architecture
Studio with Matías Madsen in 2007, and has
0 10 FT.
since completed office and residential projects FLOOR PLAN
3 M.
across Chile.
Though linked in their goals, each school
has its own design, responding to specific
topographic conditions, solar orientation, and 1 CLASSROOM 3 PATIO 5 TEACHERS ROOM
PHOTOGRAPHY: © PABLO CASALS AGUIRRE

program requirements. The Pivadenco Rural 2 KITCHEN 4 RESTROOMS 6 EXTERIOR HALL

School, in the Los Sauces district, recalls the
local timber agricultural sheds, composed of
wood assemblies with short members capable
of creating large structural spans. “We
worked with a prefabricated pine system,
which allowed pre-dimensioning of all the
structural parts that make up the building,”
says Larraín. On the ceiling, a tongue-and-
groove pine fascia meant the architects could
generate a continuous surface while adapting
to the geometry of the roof. Exposed concrete
stained black acts as a heat sink by capturing
and storing solar energy from skylights and
releasing it as the climate cools. Floors are
polished concrete in high-traffic common
areas and native coigue wood inside the class-
rooms, for a warmer material palette.
To promote the idea of a community cen-
ter, the architects created a space capable of
adapting to a variety of educational and social
activities within the school. It was a design

40 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
THE ODDLY hipped roof (opposite) contains
skylights that bring daylight deep into the large
central patio (above) and classrooms (right).

strategy that evolved from meetings with the

local population, where the architects pre-
sented the main goals of the building and in
turn received community input. The school
relies on a single teacher to guide students
between 7 and 14 years old in the same class-
room; to allow children of different ages to
coexist in a single space, a 1,185-square-foot
multipurpose internal patio is flanked by two
440-square-foot classrooms that can be used
individually or in tandem with the central
space, as sliding doors are opened or closed. A
kitchen and pantries, restrooms, and circula-
tion corridors all link with the patio. The
effect is a direct and supportive connection
with the surrounding community, whether for
a jovial afternoon of sports or for important
meetings with neighbors about the future of
the rural territory. Jennifer Krichels

41
 EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
Marygrove Early
Education Center
Detroit | Marlon Blackwell Architects
THE FUTURE of Marygrove College
appeared grim in 2016, when the Detroit
institution reached out to the Kresge Foun­
dation for help in navigating its financial
straits. Although the Troy, Michigan–based
foundation could not prevent the Catholic
college from shuttering undergraduate
courses, it launched a multi­organization
collaboration to reinvent the 53­acre campus
as a learning center for the Livernois­
McNichols neighborhood and surrounding
communities that have not experienced the
same revitalization as Detroit’s CBD and
Midtown areas.
Three years later, Marygrove’s picturesque
main building reopened as a public high
school, with an enrollment that now tops
300 students. Then, last September, Kresge
and its partners opened the Marygrove Early
Education Center (EEC), a $15 million
structure designed by Marlon Blackwell
Architects, which provides local families with
services ranging from prenatal support to
pre­K education for 144 kids.
The new facility comprises a wedge­
42 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
shaped plan punctuated by three courtyards,
its low profile energized by a zigzagging
roofline and striped facade. “One­story is
standard for a lot of educational buildings,
from the standpoint of universal design and
control,” Blackwell says of the design’s ori­
gins. While convention would have also
dictated maximizing daylight by way of a
bar­shaped plan, the Fayetteville, Arkansas–
based studio had to nestle 28,000 square feet
immediately east of the high school. “It could
not be long, so we had to go with a mat build­
ing,” Blackwell recalls. To create that mat, the
architect and his team coiled the hypothetical
bar volume onto itself so that every classroom
enjoys outdoor access. Folded planes and
TERRA-COTTA cladding speaks to the existing
masonry building (above). The preschool (below)
and most rooms open to the outdoors (opposite).
asymmetrical light monitors deliver addi­
tional sunshine into the EEC.
Manipulating the form also allowed
Blackwell to vary the scale of the rooms, in
response to each one’s function and the age of
the child occupants. “Schools are often unin­
spired, overly diagrammatic, repetitive spaces;
we were able to challenge an impoverished
building type,” Blackwell says.
The architect adds that Kresge, as well as
the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF), a Chicago­
based nonprofit tapped by the foundation to
develop this project, wanted to push the
design envelope. He initially anticipated
cladding the EEC in a timeless material like
brick or copper, but the client thought a
uniform skin would have a corporate appear­
ance. Kresge’s Detroit Program, in particular,
wanted to send a message of inclusivity.
Today, a glazed terra­cotta rainscreen inter­
prets the stone and brick colors of nearby
buildings as a series of vertical stripes that
also evokes the work of the Gee’s Bend
Quilting Collective in Alabama, which
Blackwell says celebrates the Great
Migration’s impact on Detroit history: “It
suggests that you’re as valued as the kids over
in Grosse Pointe,” he notes, referring to the
nearby well­to­do suburb.
Since 2017, when Marygrove terminated
its undergraduate and graduate program,
more than 500 other colleges and universities
have shut down nationwide. Yet Marygrove’s
transformation suggests a path forward that 5 7
1 ENTRANCE
may well prevent a college campus from 4 1 2 RECEPTION
becoming the next dead mall. Currently on 12 6
3 10 7 3 PARENT ROOM
10 10 2
the Marygrove site, the renovation of a de- 10
4 FLEX SPACE
11
funct girls’ academy into a K-8 public school 11 5
5 7 7 5 OFFICE
is under way by the Ann Arbor–based firm 7 7
5 12
5 10 6 STAFF LOUNGE
PLY+, and the University of Michigan has
9 5 7 INFANT/TODDLER CARE
begun a unique teaching residency here that 12

is structured like a medical-school program. 8 PRESCHOOL

Kresge estimates that its commitment to the 9 KITCHEN

8 8 8 8 8 8
campus will eventually total approximately 10 PROGRAM ROOM
$75 million, making it the largest philan- 11 MEETING ROOM
thropic investment in a Detroit neighborhood 12 COURTYARD
0 50 FT.
in the city’s history. David Sokol FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

43
 EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
Devland SOWETO Education Campus
Johannesburg | William Reue Architecture
IN 2010, when Deborah Terhune pivoted
from a decades-long career in private-sector
real estate to one in social entrepreneurship,
she founded the nonprofit Growing Up
Africa, with a two-pronged education mis-
sion. The New York–based organization
develops secure and technology-ready educa-
tion facilities in South Africa with local labor,
so that community members gain valuable
44 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
field experience in the construction trades. In
addition, upon conclusion of those projects,
buildings are donated to school operators to
perpetuate a culture of learning. The recently
completed Devland Soweto Education
Campus in Johannesburg is Growing Up
Africa’s first foray into a higher-education
program.
The 21,500-square-foot building, which
comprises administrative offices and flexible
learning spaces, anchored by an auditorium in
its northeast corner, was designed by New
York–based William Reue Architecture, with
Africa’s largest firm, Boogertman + Partners,
serving as architect of record. Both studios
worked on the commission pro bono, and 225
companies donated materials and labor to the
effort in all. These goods and professional ser-
vices make up 80 percent of the total cost of
the facility, which is equivalent to $6.9 million.
The Devland campus occupies a 1.7-acre
parcel overlooking a highway that connects its
The compact, low-slung volume (opposite, top)
was built by the community (bottom) and has
a large daylit flex room (right) and playful
classroom fenestration (opposite, bottom).

namesake community—part of the Soweto

townships, which a segregationist government
established as a Black ghetto in the 1930s—to
Johannesburg. Although Terhune says her
expansive network of corporate sponsors and
private donors are committed to Growing Up
Africa’s goals in principle, architect William
Reue notes that givers needed a highly re-
solved schematic design to galvanize tangible
commitments. In turn, Reue conceived a
low-slung volume, parallel to the artery at its
east, with a roofline that rakes upward dra-
matically to accommodate the auditorium
within. “It was important to have a bold and
dignified presence at the street to create a
center of gravity, while scaling the rest of the
building to the informal development that
surrounds the site,” he says.
The initial drawings of the school secured
the donated concrete that makes up the build- 1 AUDITORIUM

ing’s superstructure, and the design evolved as 2 ENTRANCE

5 3
subsequent gifts fell into place. Responding to 7
3 ADMINISTRATION
an offer of more than 20,000 sandbags, for 6
4 2 4 RESTROOM
example, Reue thickened the walls to make 5 CLASSROOM
use of their thermal and acoustical properties. 6 LECTURE HALL
When that framing prevented Reue from 8
10 7 KITCHEN
punching geometrically complex openings 1
8 CAFETERIA
into the north and west elevations, he ap-
9 OUTDOOR DINING
proximated that idea by installing donated 9
10 FLEX CLASSROOM
windows in a seemingly random pattern.
Alternatively, when Reue thought that the 0 30 FT.
aluminum extrusions cladding a nearby FLOOR PLAN
10 M.
Johannesburg gallery would make an evoca-
tive skin for the auditorium, Terhune was able
to raise funds for a direct purchase.
Because few of these transactions took place
in single swoops, Terhune orchestrated con-
struction based on the availability of supplies
and laborers. Occasionally work would pause
until the planets realigned in her favor. Even
so, she says, “it was important that I was on-
site every day. I made a promise to the com-
munity and to everyone who committed time
and resources to this project.” Fulfilling that
promise, in 2021 Terhune turned the campus
over to the University of Johannesburg, which
will run the facility as a satellite specializing in
the STEAM curricula for its undergraduates
and local continuing-education students. The
university, moreover, has partnered with the
global IT services and consulting company
Accenture, so that students may be assigned to
one of its projects upon completion of their
coursework. David Sokol

45
 WEBINARS
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PRODUCTS Education

Get Schooled
A formula of usability plus aesthetics equals up-to-
date furnishings perfect for learning environments.
BY SHEILA KIM

Custom Writable Wall Panels
New manufacturer Arden Studio specializes in sleek writ-
able-glass screens and mobile panels—as well as custom
variations for site-specific applications. For the latter, Arden
helps integrate its product into a through shape, an infinite
array of colors, and logos or other custom graphics. The
glass is also easy to clean and disinfect.
ardenstudio.com
Fireframes Designer
Guard System
With both the safety and
security of students in
mind, TGP developed this
fire-rated full-lite glass
door system to meet the
certification requirements
of the Forced Entry stan-
dard (ASTM E2395). It
comprises a swing door
with side lites, welded
steel framing, and lami-
nated glass with fire rat-
ings of up to 60 minutes.
fireglass.com
Leaf
Developed to facilitate small-group, floor-level learning, this series of
cozy environments from VS America consists of a leaf-shaped sail-like
element made flexible with stretch fabric, glass-fiber rods, and mag-
netic attachment points to form round tents, tunnels, and nooks. Each
leaf is 89" long x 377∕8" at its widest end. The manufacturer also offers
coordinating tentpoles and floor mats.
vs-furniture.com
Acoustic Locker
Collection
Designed in collaboration with
Gensler, this locker collection
from Hollman reduces sur-
rounding noise levels with a
diagonal pattern of routed
acoustic contours and sound-
absorbing panels on the door
backs. Additionally, the lockers
feature smart locking tech-
nology and antimicrobial
surfaces.
hollman.com

Beguiled by the Wild

Designtex has updated the color palette with 16 new hues for this
polyurethane upholstery textile printed with a collage of animals
by artist Charley Harper. The surface is finished with silicone,
rendering it resistant to ink and denim staining and cleanable
with bleach.
designtex.com

47
 PRODUCTS Building Envelope

It’s a Wrap
These new materials push performance and
appearance beyond the typical shell.
BY SHEILA KIM

Lightwall 3450
Extech has expanded its
translucent wall offerings with
Lightwall 3450, which can
accommodate 2"-thick cellular
polycarbonate panels without
framing members within the
field of glazing, to ensure a
clean aesthetic. This daylighting
system can extend up to 54'
long, performs well under high Kite Breeze
wind loads, and helps save Glen-Gery’s contemporary take on the patterned masonry breeze-blocks
energy with a U-factor of 0.19. that were popular in the 1960s, Kite Breeze features a 3½"-thick x 113/8"-
extechinc.com square frame with a setback triangular aperture. Architects can rotate the
blocks any which way and even layer them to create unique patterns. Kite
Breeze is offered in White Glaze, Terracotta, and Dune.
glengery.com

StoVentec for
Masonry Veneer
Facades
Sto Corp. designed this new
StoVentec ventilated rain-
screen to support thin-brick
masonry-veneer facades.
The system comprises an air
and moisture barrier, con-
tinuous insulation, a light-
weight carrier board, and a
choice of thin-brick veneers
that integrate with the com-
pany’s other facade finishes.
stocorp.com

Steni Nature
Norwegian facade-panel manufac-
turer Steni now offers an aggregate-
stone variety for ventilated facade
applications. The panels come in a
selection of 13 natural colorations
and four surface grades, from fine
to coarse. All are easily cleanable,
frost- and water-impermeable, and
impact-resistant.
steni.com
EASY MEG
Abet Laminati has introduced three new fixing systems
for its MEG exterior-grade laminate cladding series: the
Closed Joint provides high water deflection; Open Joint
creates a louvered outer skin; and Overlapping resem-
bles clapboard siding. MEG is available in 16 decorative
patterns, six solid colors, and 10 wood grains.
abetlaminati.com

48 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 SUBMIT YOUR PROJECTS!

Record
2022 Eligible projects include those that
incorporate innovation in program,
building technology, materials,
and form. Winning projects will

Houses be selected by an editorial jury and

published in the April 2022 issue of
Architectural Record.

To enter, visit architecturalrecord.com/call4entries

DEADLINE: JANUARY 18, 2022

RECORD HOUSES 2021 WINNER: STONY HILL HOUSE,

AMAGANSETT, NEW YORK, BY BATES MASI + ARCHITECTS.
PHOTO BY PAUL MASI.
 SHOP THE

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 CULTURE

Welcome to the Block

SO - IL designs the sophisticated Amant Art Center in the midst of a heavily industrial area in Brooklyn.
BY JOSEPHINE MINUTILLO

NEXT DOOR is a slaughterhouse. Down the block are busy ware-
houses and a truck depot; a few hundred yards away, a rundown hall
for exotic dancers. It’s not where you’d expect to find an arts center or,
for that matter, its philanthropist founder hanging out. But it is this
gritty part of East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, to which Lonti Ebers
would frequently travel to visit the studios of the artists she collects,
PHOTOGRAPHY: © NAHO KUBOTA
and where she decided to create a residency for other rising stars.
Amant Art Center began in 2014 with a site but no real program,
other than to provide studios to young artists. Both would expand over
the years to encompass multiple lots and diverse functions, such as exhi-
bition and performance. Florian Idenburg of SO – IL—whom Ebers had
met when she was on the board of the New Museum and he was oversee-

A GALLERY building, constructed from the ground up

with elaborately arrayed brick topped by aluminum
panels, includes a 23-foot-tall exhibition space.

51
 6

4
1 ENTRANCE

2 GALLERY
5
3 CAFÉ/BOOKSTORE
1
4 COURTYARD

5 LIVING SPACE

6 THEATER
MAUJER STREET
n PERFORMANCE SPACE

n GALLERY

n ARTIST’S STUDIO

PHOTOGRAPHY: © NAHO KUBOTA (TOP AND OPPOSITE, BOTTOM); IWAN BAAN (OPPOSITE, TOP)
n OFFICE 1 2

n CAFE

n UTILITY 2

n RECEPTION

Credits
ARCHITECT: SO - IL — Florian Idenburg, Jing Liu, CLIENT: Lonti Ebers/Amant Foundation 3
Ilias Papageorgiou, Kevin Lamyuktseung SIZE: 21,000 square feet
ARCHITECT OF RECORD: ARAPC, Andrew Reyniak COST: withheld
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: John O’Hara Company COMPLETION DATE: September 2021 2
ENGINEERS: Silman (structural); CES
Engineering, Plus Group Consulting Engineering
(m/e/p); Bohler Engineering, Plus Group Sources
Consulting Engineering (civil); Langan, PMT MASONRY: Acme
1
Laboratories (geotechnical) METAL PANELS: 618 Design
CONSULTANTS: Future Green Studio (landscape); SKYLIGHTS: Kawneer
Buro Happold (lighting); Simpson Gumpertz &
DOORS: Skyframe GRAND STREET
Heger (building envelope); Reg Hough Associates
(concrete); Harvey Marshall Berling Associates (AV, LIGHTING: Cree, Erco (interior); Ecosense
SITE PLAN 0 30 FT.
security); Paratus Group (owner representative) (exterior)
10 M.

52 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
THE STUDIO building features corrugated concrete above smooth
(opposite). In the renovated gallery building, the largest exhibition space
features six scooping skylights (above) and aluminum-clad corridors (right).

ing construction of that institution’s new building in Manhattan for

SANAA (2007)—would help shape Amant as it grew to include more
structures, even if at the time SO – IL had little built work to its credit.
The firm, led by Idenburg and Jing Liu, had, however, recently
completed the Kukje Gallery in Seoul (record, July 2012) and won
the competition to design the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the
University of California at Davis (record, December 2016) the year
before. Kukje, with its chainmail veil, and Manetti Shrem, with its
swooping canopy, became early examples of SO – IL’s unique ability to
transform mundane materials or building elements into exciting new
forms, a skill that is also evident—in smaller rather than overarching
moves—at Amant.
But at Amant, more than those others, the urban strategy, particularly
given its colorful, if not necessarily visitor-friendly, location, was just as
important as the architectural one. The eventual campus appears like a
game of Monopoly, with small, blocky structures populating one, then
another, then another nearby lot. But these are not cookie-cutter buildings.
A total of four renovated and newly constructed edifices, scaled to
their neighbors—which also include some grandfathered houses in this
industrial zone—emerged. The first, clad in backward-facing beige
brick and opening onto the noisy Grand Street, is an existing though
much-altered structure. Behind it, a new two-story pile of elaborately
arrayed white brick, topped by shimmering aluminum panels, faces the
quieter Maujer Street, where, directly across, there is a third, poured-
in-place concrete building, also two stories—smooth at the bottom,
corrugated higher up. Finally, separated by a lushly planted courtyard,
the last poured-concrete structure culminates the journey that SO – IL
has defined with subtle formal gestures that unite the entire assembly.
A marquee, for instance, draws visitors into the alley serving the two

53
 brick-clad gallery structures, one of which
contains a café and bookstore as well. (The
cantilevering triangle is also a balcony for the
offices on that building’s second level.) Across
the street, a single amorphously shaped win-
dow—“We didn’t want it to be a circle, we
didn’t want it to be a square,” says Idenburg—
invites curiosity about what goes on in the large
studio building (even if the artists are creating
in the spartan workspaces on the floor above
the opening). Somewhat similarly shaped and
sized metal grilles dot the floors throughout the
interiors; raked concrete sections of pavement
also hint at the connections between structures.
Galvanized Unistrut channels, generally used
for mounting conduit and mechanicals from
ceilings, here are fashioned into impressive
gates: instead of being off-putting, they indicate
to passersby that what’s behind those gates is
worth exploring.
Inside, thresholds and interstitial spaces are
as meticulously detailed as program areas, to
mark transitions from the bustle of the neigh-
borhood into this tranquil enclave for art, or
from first-rate galleries to a homey living space
to a no-nonsense theater. Those main rooms
are in some ways as different from each other as
the exterior treatments of the individual build-
ings but, likewise, have a similar feel of eccen-
tric sophistication that ties them all together.
In the biggest gallery, in the renovated
existing structure, SO-IL removed a central
column and inserted six scooping skylights that
cut through the 3½-foot-thick ceiling. In the
tallest gallery, in the building behind, a clere-
story window brings hazy daylight in past the
upper level’s thin aluminum louvered panels.
Flamboyant furnishings in the living space,
which includes a kitchen and dining area for the
four artists in residence, continue the pops of
color that spring up in the café and courtyards.
But even in that private space for the artists,
visible through a large glass wall in the planted
courtyard, touches of refinement distinguish
the design. A curved, corrugated concrete

PHOTOGRAPHY: © IWAN BAAN (3); NAHO KUBOTA (OPPOSITE, 2)

reading nook, for instance, is strikingly paired
with perforated acoustic paneling that makes
its way up to the studios on the second floor.
That refinement sets the entire ensemble of
buildings apart—not hard to do in these
surroundings, yes; but it does so without
screaming for attention. That is a credit to the
architects, who have, since starting work in
this scrappy part of Brooklyn, designed more
spaces for art in other parts of the world, and
have been short-listed for even more. The
completion of Amant’s exceptional campus
has put the now firmly established SO – IL
on the cusp of bigger projects to come. n

54 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
A READING NOOK
in the artists’ private
living space pairs
corrugated concrete
and perforated
paneling (above); its
curving exterior form
extends into the
planted courtyard
(right). A clerestory
window illuminates
the tallest gallery
(opposite, top). The
gallery buildings,
which share another
courtyard, feature
different exterior
arrangements of
brick (opposite,
middle and bottom).

55
 CULTURE
Musical Composition
Reiser+Umemoto arrange three very different buildings as the Taipei Music Center.
BY FRED A. BERNSTEIN
“PRODUCING A WINNING competition
entry is one thing, but building it is another,” says
Nanako Umemoto. In 2009, the New York firm
she founded with her husband, Jesse Reiser, in
1986 was invited to enter a competition for what
was then called the Taiwan Pop Music Center.
Since the turn of the century, Taiwan had been
losing dominance in pop music to Japan and
Korea, and its government wanted to create a
place, according to the competition brief, “to
gather creative talents, trends, and brands.”
Perhaps with the youthful audience for pop
music in mind, Taipei’s department of cultural
affairs bypassed late-career architects for the invit-
ed competition in favor of a younger generation
that included Jeanne Gang, Julien de Smedt, and
Reiser+Umemoto (R+U).
Working with Taiwan’s Fei and Cheng
Associates, R+U won the competition, but that
was only the start of a 10-year saga, during which
the client, program, and even the project name
changed: the word “pop” was dropped to broaden
the center’s appeal before an appearance by Yo-Yo
Ma. Despite the collaboration with the local archi-
tects, Reiser and Umemoto kept firmly involved in
steering the 755,000-square-foot project toward
completion, producing many of the working draw-
ings in their New York office. “It’s not as if we
handed it off at any point,” says Reiser.
Because of the pandemic, the architects haven’t
been to the site in more than two years, but they
are enjoying having completed the biggest project
56 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
of their careers, by far. “Not many firms our size
get a chance to do something like this,” says
Reiser (their office, in a former factory in Harlem,
has fewer than a dozen people).
The reason they won the competition, Reiser
and Umemoto believe, is that they took maximum
advantage of the 23-acre site. Their competitors,
they say, were doing “miniature urbanism” within
a single building. “We decided, with all this space,
why not do real urbanism?” Reiser says.
“All this space” consists of two parcels sepa-
rated by a highway—the program called for a
pedestrian bridge connecting them. Reiser and
Umemoto placed the center’s largest space, the
5,000-seat performance hall, on the hexagonal
parcel, where it could be entered at grade or, one
story up, directly from the bridge. The clamshell-
shaped venue has a pleated roof, reminiscent of
origami, but with softer folds. “We wanted it to
hover between being organic and being crystal-
line,” says Reiser. The roof ’s steel decking is cov-
ered in Alumite, an anodized aluminum that gives
it a golden cast. The hall itself is a crystalline box
covered in gypsum board, which sits inside the
larger steel frame of the building. Pleating the
auditorium walls, for acoustical purposes, extend-
ed the origami theme into the fan-shaped room.
The expansive lobby is a tour de force. Glass
introduced between steel structural members
creates angled windows, their black frames con-
trasting sharply with the white walls enclosing the
auditorium. One prominent opening in those
walls, for the ticket booth, was
designed by Umemoto in the
shape of a baby’s mouth, she
PHOTOGRAPHY: © YANA ZHEZHELA & ALEK VATAGIN (EXCEPT AS NOTED)
says, “because most ticket
booths are boring.” Elsewhere in
the public spaces, the white
walls curve or cant at angles.
Across the bridge, on the nar-
row southern parcel, Umemoto,
who studied landscape architec-
ture and urban design in her
native Japan before moving to
the U.S., helped create a plinth
that reads as topography. The THE CLAMSHELL-SHAPED
plinth surrounds a grade-level performance hall is linked to the
outdoor performance space. The music museum and industrial
shell via a pedestrian bridge (left
firm designed several coverings
and this page).
for the performance space, in
deference to local noise laws, but
57
 1

0 150 FT.
SITE PLAN
50 M.
A

1 PERFORMANCE HALL 5 PARKING

2 MUSIC MUSEUM 6 PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

3 INDUSTRIAL SHELL 7 STAGE

4 PLAZA 8 LOBBY

7 8

0 50 FT.
CROSS SECTION A - A
15 M.
A
0 50 FT.
PERFORMANCE HALL - FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

58 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 the client, Reiser says, chose not to build them and suffers the conse-
quences. By day, the performance space serves as a public plaza; it is
ringed by stores and restaurants, in an arrangement the architects
compare to Rome’s Piazza Navona.
Rising over the west end of the plinth is a cubic building containing
a music museum, its glass-enclosed internal stairways pushed outside
the east elevation (Reiser and Umemoto designed the stairways but
were not otherwise involved in that building’s interiors). At the east
PHOTOGRAPHY: © COURTESY REISER+UMEMOTO AND FEI AND CHENG ASSOCIATES

end of the plaza is another structure, shaped like a meteor, called the
“industry shell,” which contains offices and recording studios. “It’s a
machine for rolling out new musicians and groups,” says R+U associate
Jasmine Lee. A recess beneath the plinth contains a stage and back-
stage areas.
Seen from above, the industry shell—a concrete enclosure topped by
about an acre of perforated stainless-steel panels—resembles a kind of
abstract painting, with darker and lighter patches following no discern-
ible pattern. According to the architects, the surface was meant to have
a uniform appearance, but the contractor oriented some of the hun-
dreds of panels incorrectly. (The direction of the perforations deter-
mines how much light each panel reflects as the sun moves through the
sky.) “I was shocked at first,” says Reiser of the 30,000-square-foot
error, “but then I started to like it.”
Despite the building’s angular metallic facades, the architects reject
comparisons between their work and that of Frank Gehry or Zaha A PAVED plaza extends from beneath the plinth of the cubic cultural hall
Hadid. “We do share with them a desire to expand the sensual and (opposite). Pleats inside the theater (top) mimic its facade, while canted
emotive possibilities of architectural expression, but our way couldn’t walls animate lobbies (above).

59
 PUBLIC AREAS are painted white, and contrast
with the black armature at entrances and
windows (left, top and bottom).

be more different,” says Reiser. He sees

Gehry as focused on particular formal out-
comes. And the parametricism of Zaha
Hadid Architects doesn’t appeal to the
couple, who design with physical models.
Hundreds of them, in a huge range of mate-
rials, fill their office. “We’re not so tied to a
computational way of thinking,” says firm
associate Julian Harake.
Of course, many of the firm’s choices are
driven by aesthetics. “We wanted something
that would be distinctive on the horizon and
would resonate with the mountains in the
background,” says Reiser. “And the program
called for an ‘iconic’ building.” At the same
time, the facades have few identifying fea-
tures. “We were trying to eliminate easy
reading of scale,” he adds, “and to achieve
visual continuity over many acres.” In doing
so, they created a tabula rasa on which the
music industry can write its own story.
Almost literally: at night, the entire complex
serves as a screen for colorful projections,
and the somewhat austere architecture
pulses with life. “The years of drawing,
model-making, and even site visits didn’t
prepare us for the vast scale and energy of
the project,” says Umemoto. “We created a
city in the city.” n

Credits
ARCHITECT: Reiser+Umemoto, RUR
Architecture — Jesse Reiser, Nanako Umemoto
ARCHITECT OF RECORD:
Fei and Cheng Associates
ENGINEERS: Arup and Supertech Consultants
International (structural); Meinhardt Facade
Technology (building envelope); IsLin &
Associates Consulting Engineers (mechanical);
Minginer Consultant (electrical and plumbing)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Chun Yuan Construction and Reiju Construction
CONSULTANTS: Arup (theater and acoustics);
Environmental Arts Design (landscape); Focus
Lighting and Rehouse Design Group (lighting)
CLIENT: Taipei City Government
SIZE: 755,000 square feet
COST: $160 million (construction)
COMPLETION DATE: October 2020

Sources
ROOFING: Bemo
GLAZING: Taiwan Glass Industry
CONVEYANCE: Mitsubishi Electric, Kone
THEATER SEATING: Kotobuki

60 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 The DESIGN:ED Podcast by Architectural Record
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 BUILDING TYPE STUDY 1,037

K-12 SCHOOLS
66 Thaden School
Bentonville, Arkansas
EskewDumezRipple, Marlon Blackwell Architects and Andropogon

74 Groupe Scolaire Antoine de Ruffi

Marseille, France
Tautem Architecture

80 Grant High School

Portland, Oregon
Mahlum Architects

86 Santa Monica High School Discovery Building

California
Moore Ruble Yudell and HED

92 Samuel Powel Elementary School and

Science Leadership Academy Middle School
Philadelphia
Rogers Partners
PHOTOGRAPHY: © TIM HURSLEY

THADEN SCHOOL, BENTONVILLE,

ARKANSAS; MARLON BLACKWELL
ARCHITECTS AND ESKEW DUMEZ RIPPLE

65
 K-12 SCHOOLS

Reinvent
the Wheel
In Bentonville, Arkansas, a daring new campus
reflects an unorthodox approach to education.
BY BETH BROOME
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM HURSLEY

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY that a design team gets a crack at conceiving an
academic campus from the ground up. With their commission for the
private Thaden School—eventually serving about 500 students in grades
6-12, on a 32-acre campus in Bentonville, Arkansas—EskewDumezRipple
(EDR) and Marlon Blackwell Architects (MBA) seized this rare opportu-
nity with an adventurous spirit befitting the pioneering approach to educa-
tion that informed the master plan and architecture.
Envisioned by the Walton Family Foundation, the nonprofit led by
the founders of Walmart, the school is part of the mission to groom the
retail giant’s hometown as a sophisticated global headquarters that,

1 THADEN HOUSE

2 REELS BUILDING

3 HOME BUILDING

4 WHEELS
BUILDING

5 PERFORMANCE

6 BIKE BARN
7 CAMPUS QUAD

8 WATER LAB
15
9 AGRICULTURE
LANDSCAPE
13
10 OUTDOOR 11
PERFORMANCE

11 MOVIE LAWN
7
12 OUTDOOR
CLASSROOM 12 9
13 STUDENT
DROPOFF

14 PUMP TRACK

15 CYCLOCROSS
TRAIL

THE VARIOUS buildings, which embody the

school’s signature programs, are all distinct, but
share a formal language.
0 500 FT.
SITE PLAN
150 M.

66 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
67
 K-12 SCHOOLS

THE HOME BUILDING (above), a stick-frame

structure clad in board and batten, houses the
library and dining hall (right).

with record-breaking population growth and

new construction, remains pleasantly livable.
In 2015, following a feasibility study, the
foundation recruited Clayton Marsh, then
deputy dean of the college at Princeton
University, to launch and head a brand-new
school. “The brief was refreshing in its open-
endedness,” says Marsh, about the planned
coed, nonsectarian college-prep day school
with a focus on creativity. To foster inclusiv-
ity, families would pay tuition based on their
resources. (Marsh says the student body is
socioeconomically diverse, with about 80
percent of the families paying an amount
below the maximum.)
To develop the curriculum, Marsh took his
cues from the locale. For example, “you could
not overlook the culture of cycling that was
gaining traction here,” he says. (Bentonville
calls itself the Mountain Biking Capital of the
World.) Recalling a former Princeton colleague
who used the process of disassembling and 5
2 1
reassembling motorcycles to engage students in 4 1 ENTRANCE
1
the principles of mathematics, physics, and 2 DINING HALL
engineering, Marsh considered the bicycle as a 3 TEACHING KITCHEN
medium for Thaden. And hoping to partner 5 1 4 LIBRARY
with community organizations, he also thought 5 STUDY LOUNGE
about how a nearby culinary institute could help 3 6 FACULTY OFFICES
students delve into the economics, politics, and 8
7 SERVICE
6
biochemistry of the plate. In addition, he con-
8 WATER LAB
sidered the role of a local film festival and the
history of art-making in Northwest Arkansas.
Thus evolved the three signature programs of 7
Thaden—Wheels, Meals, and Reels—that
would guide an interdisciplinary approach to 0 50 FT.
learning, with an emphasis on making. HOME BUILDING FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

68 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
 6
7
2
3
2
4

2 3 3 7
3 7
2 2 1 1

3 3 3 6
3 3
3
5
1

0 50 FT.
REELS BUILDING FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

1 ENTRANCE 5 FILM STUDIO

2 CHEM/SCIENCE LAB 6 SOCIAL SPACE

3 HUMANITIES CLASSROOM 7 ADMINISTRATION/MEETING
PLYWOOD CEILINGS unite the classrooms (above, left) and double-
4 ARTS ROOM loaded corridor (above) in the Reels Building (top).

69
 K-12 SCHOOLS

THE BIKE BARN (above) serves as a gym (left) as well as a

hub for cyclists using the nearby network of paths and
adjacent pump track (above, in foreground).

While putting together the curriculum and faculty,

Marsh helped craft an RFQ for a campus that would
complement the emerging pedagogy and become part of
the city’s fabric, both programmatically and physically.
The Walton foundation, which has created a design-excel-
lence program for Northwest Arkansas, invited a short list
of firms to submit for the project. EDR and MBA were
selected to collaborate on both the campus master plan and
the architecture. “What set EDR and MBA apart,” says
Marsh, “was their ability to translate our vision for the
school into architectural forms and spaces.”
The site, a former county fairgrounds, was an open field,
bordered by single-family houses and light industry and
bifurcated by a street running north–south to Bentonville’s
nearby main square. The planning challenge involved rec-
onciling the small amount of space required for the pro-
gram—just 136,000 square feet—and the enormous plot of
land. “We needed to develop a master plan that was as much
about the landscape as the buildings,” says Steve Dumez,
EDR principal and director of design; campus-planning
collaborator Andropogon adroitly handled the landscape.
“And it had to respond to Marsh’s idea of the classroom
being everywhere, with every space—inside and out—con-
ducive to learning.” In early conversations, Marsh had mem-
orably said, “When it’s cold, the kids need to feel the weath-
er, and when it rains, they need to get wet.” According to
Christian Rodriguez, EDR’s project architect, “That direc-
tive led us to arrive early at the concept of a porous campus”
of several low-slung single-story structures—rather than one
large building—with many openings connecting them to
meadows, vegetable and rain gardens, lawns, water features,
SECTION PERSPECTIVE and meandering paths. On a recent afternoon, as a rain-

70 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
1 ENTRANCE

2 AUDITORIUM

3 MUSIC CLASSROOM

4 DRAMA CLASSROOM

5 FLEX CLASSROOM

6 ADMINISTRATION

7 BACK-OF-HOUSE

5 4
3

1
6
6
2 7
6

0 50 FT.
A STATE-OF-THE ART wood-paneled auditorium (above) is the heart of the
PERFORMANCE BUILDING FLOOR PLAN Performance building (top), which is also used by the local community.
15 M.

storm moved in, children hesitated on a covered porch before flipping up
hoodies and dashing across the quad to their next classes—an effective
way of learning the vagaries of mother nature.
The school was developed in phases, starting with a temporary
modular facility designed by EDR that opened in 2017 (and is now
gone). Four main buildings embrace a generous quad (with geothermal
wells underneath) at their center. Each of the buildings embodies a
signature program: Wheels, a lithe, snaking classroom building for
math and physics, including a bike workshop; Reels, another serpen-
tine academic building, for social sciences, art, and film, as well as
administration; and Meals, or the Home building, a zigzagging struc-
ture with a soaring dining hall, a test kitchen, and library. The Bike
Barn—which sits by itself across the street that cuts the campus in
two—is a bright red gambrel-roofed, naturally ventilated wood struc-
ture, abutting playing fields and a pump track for bikes. The barn
serves as a gymnasium and hub for cyclists using the network of nearby
trails. The most recent addition, the Performance building, houses a
state-of-the-art auditorium and practice rooms; on the northwest edge
of campus, it is easily accessed by the public. An outlier—the diminu-
tive white clapboard Thaden House, the relocated and renovated child-
hood home of Bentonville born-and-bred pioneering aviator Louise
Thaden, for whom the school is named—contains the admissions
office and sits along the dropoff area, next to a maple bosque.
Inspired by the poultry sheds that dot the landscape, the team origi-

71
 K-12 SCHOOLS

THE WHEELS BUILDING houses classrooms and a bike workshop (left,

bottom), which opens to the street behind a soaring metal canopy (left,
top). A broad hallway is also a gathering place (above). Abundant
apertures, like the Reels Building’s breezeway (opposite), accommodate
learning spaces and foster a dialogue across campus.

7
1 1 1
2 4
5
6
3
3
3
7

0 50 FT.
WHEELS BUILDING FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

1 ENTRANCE 5 COLLABORATION
2 BIKE LAB 6 DIGITAL FABRICATION LAB

3 PHYSICS LAB 7 TEACHER WORKROOM

4 WOOD/METAL SHOP

72 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
nally conceived the campus as a series of linear volumes running east– square inch of its campus—and the designers’ cohesive but distinct ap-
west. The architects divided the design of the structures, with EDR proaches have clear didactic merit. No less important, the intrepid archi-
taking on the large Home building and MBA the classroom buildings, tecture and landscape this collaborative team has created can teach the
performance center, and barn. The forms evolved as the project pro- value of risk-taking and ignite imaginations into the future. n
gressed. For its building, EDR arranged the programmatic volumes
into a Z-shape, and created a cohesive whole by “draping” the assem-
Credits CLIENT: Thaden School
blage with a standing-seam roof. For the Wheels and Reels buildings,
ARCHITECTS: Marlon Blackwell SIZE: 136,000 square feet
MBA cranked the linear forms and added cut-throughs, like porches Architects — Marlon Blackwell, (construction); 32 acres (site)
and breezeways, to break up the long, narrow buildings’ walls. These Meryati Blackwell, Josh Matthews, COST: withheld
openings, along with those of the Home building, establish a dialogue Spencer Curtis, Bradford Payne,
Stephen Reyenga, Colby Ritter, COMPLETION DATE:
among structures across the quad, and can be used to bring learning March 2019–present
Paul Mosley, Callie Kesel, Anna
outdoors. The articulation of the roofs—what MBA principal Marlon Morrison, Leonardo Leiva;
Blackwell likes to call “pitching and rolling”—defines interior spaces EskewDumezRipple — Z Smith, Sources
and zones. “We thought about this as a type of carapace, where wall Steve Dumez, Amanda Rivera,
Christian Rodriguez, Mike Johnson, EXTERIOR CLADDING: Morin, East
and roof are of the same material,” says the architect. Pleating on these Chris Jackson Coast Metal Systems, Pac-Clad,
surfaces formed clerestories to bring daylight into the double-loaded DuPont, Tubelite, American Fiber
MASTER PLAN: Cement Company, JamesHardie
corridors. “The client believes the life of the school takes place in the EskewDumezRipple, Marlon
Blackwell Architects and ROOFING: Firestone, Morin
hallways,” notes MBA project manager Josh Matthews.
Andropogon GLAZING: Viracon, Starphire,
While the two firms’ work shares a formal language, with ground-
CONSULTANTS: Ecological Design Guardian, Vitro, Velux
hugging, vernacular-inspired volumes, they depart in their material use,
Group (civil); ECI (structural); DOORS: SteelCraft, Assa Abloy, C.R.
with MBA working largely with steel structures clad with a box-rib metal CMTA Consulting Engineers Laurence, Kawneer
panel system and EDR using load-bearing 2-by-6 framing clad in fiber- (m/e/p); Andropogon, Ecological INTERIOR FINISHES: Tectum,
cement board and batten, with recessed portions lined in cedar. “Carbon Design Group (landscape); TM Homasote, Armstrong, PPG,
Light (lighting); Idibri (acoustics); Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams
and cost” drove the material choices, notes Dumez. Throughout, interiors Charcoalblue (theater); Aqueous
employ a palette of practical materials, such as plywood and concrete, (irrigation) FURNISHINGS: Knoll, Herman
Miller, Haworth, Formaspace,
underscoring the fact that this is a hands-on environment. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Landscape Forms
The Thaden School hopes to find a learning opportunity in every Milestone, Nabholz, Crossland

73
 K-12 SCHOOLS

French
Lesson
Tautem Architecture shifts Marseille’s academic
terrain with a bold school building for young children.
BY ANDREW AYERS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUC BOEGLY

MARSEILLE, France’s gritty second city, was much in the news last
September when President Macron spent an unprecedented three days
there, on a mission to sort out the enormous problems facing this
ancient port. Among them is the state of Marseille’s schools, many of
which are underfunded and literally falling down. At the root of the
decline is late 20th-century deindustrialization, which saw the city lose
50,000 jobs and 150,000 inhabitants in just 20 years. The ongoing
regeneration of the half-abandoned port area—first launched in 1995
and baptized Euroméditerranée—focuses on 1,186 acres of land in and
around the Arenc and La Joliette neighborhoods. It now includes a new
school complex for the Groupe Scolaire Antoine de Ruffi, located in
the shadow of Zaha Hadid’s 2011 CMA-CGM headquarters (an
emblematic Euroméditerranée project right on the waterfront) that was
built to serve a rapidly evolving district.
An idea of the sweeping changes is clear from looking at the school’s
immediate neighbors: to the south, a 1930s social-housing block; to the
east, a 1910s soap factory, behind which are giant concrete grain silos;
to the north, on a party wall plot, an 18-story apartment building
currently under construction; and, to the west, a vast empty lot ear-
marked for an international school. “It’s rather a problem area,” says
Adrian Garcin, principal of Tautem, lead architect on the project.
“Cross the road, and you’re in another world. Moreover, we knew we
were going to have to exist next to dense, imposing projects. Given the
context, we felt the school should be a landmark for the neighborhood,
a reference point for its inhabitants.”
There was also the question of how to deal with a site that was
arguably too small for the required program: an école maternelle (ages
3 to 6) and an école élémentaire (ages 6 to 11), whose combined 480 or
so pupils needed 43,000 square feet of floor space, plus outdoor play-
grounds, that had to be squeezed into a 23,600-square-foot lot. “That
was the biggest challenge,” continues Garcin. “I think we won the design

74 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
LOCATED near Zaha
Hadid’s CMA-CGM
headquarters, the
prominent Groupe
Scolaire Antoine de
Ruffi building serves
a rapidly changing
community.

75
 K-12 SCHOOLS

competition because our scheme proposed the largest playgrounds.”

The generous grade-level playground is protected at the heart of the
site behind classroom wings built right to the street line. Consequently,
the schools are stacked on top of each other, the école maternelle oc-
cupying levels one and two and the école élémentaire levels two, three,
and four. Although there is physical porosity between them, the
schools remain separate institutions, each with its own principal. They
share an entrance porch, but an open-air staircase, expressed on the
facade, allows elementary pupils to reach their part of the building
directly. They also have their own playground on the roof (maternelle
pupils use the courtyard), as well as a sports court, both of which enjoy
impressive views toward the port. Garcin, who grew up 60 miles away,
in Nîmes, knows the Mediterranean climate well, and adapted the
building accordingly. Its generously glazed courtyard facades, which
face north and west, are shaded by the broad overhangs of external
walkways, while the unbuilt western side of the site is enclosed by a
two-story-high “colonnade,” as Garcin describes it, that provides both
solar and visual veiling. The street facades, on the other hand, are far
less open, and realized in concrete—a material he considers better
suited to the local climate than wood, which he believes ages badly.
“The facades are a love letter to Mediterranean architecture, sculpted
by the sun,” says Garcin of the monumental elevations, which feature

1 ÉCOLE MATERNELLE

3 3 PLAYGROUND
5
2 CAFETERIA
4 3 ÉCOLE MATERNELLE
3 3 4 ÉCOLE ÉLÉMENTAIRE
PLAYGROUND

5 ÉCOLE ÉLÉMENTAIRE

2 5
A A
1 4

0 30 FT. 0 30 FT.
GROUND-FLOOR PLAN THIRD-FLOOR PLAN
10 M. 10 M.

5
4 4
5

0 30 FT.
SECTION A - A
10 M.

AXONOMETRIC DIAGRAM

76 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
PLAYGROUNDS, terraces, classrooms, and a cafeteria (this page) have
views of Marseille’s rapidly growing Euroméditerranée area (opposite).

77
 K-12 SCHOOLS
deep embrasures to protect the street-side glazing from the hottest rays.
They are cadenced according to a 4-foot measure, expressed in the
intervals of the colonnade, which wraps around the building both at
roof level (protecting the sports court) and on the external stair.
Concrete, whose high thermal inertia helps ensure even tempera-
tures inside, is revealed both within and without, the facades being
realized in three layers: 8 load-bearing inches on the interior, followed
by 5½ inches of rigid insulation, then another 5½ inches of concrete on
78 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
the exterior. The project’s environmental ambitions included making
the concrete as low-carbon as possible: mixed on-site to minimize
deliveries, its sand and aggregate were sourced from nearby quarries,
while two-thirds of the cement was replaced by slag from the metal
foundries at Fos-sur-Mer, 25 miles away. Wood was not entirely es-
chewed: it was used structurally for non-external walls and also
throughout the school’s interior for cladding and furnishings whose
slats echo the facade colonnade (as do the exposed concrete beams on
OLDER children exercise on a generous
L-shaped roof deck and learn in top-floor
classrooms daylit by shed-roof clerestories.

the classroom ceilings, which follow the

4-foot measure). Islands of greenery dot the
courtyard playground, although roof planting,
which the architects proposed, was vetoed by
the city’s maintenance department.
Inside, the classrooms are all generously
daylit, with those on the courtyard opening
up to the exterior, thanks to floor-to-ceiling
sliding glass, while those on level four enjoy
extra light from a sawtooth roof, which
continues out over part of the école élémen-
taire’s playground so that it can still be used
in the rain (the building’s fifth facade is
entirely free of mechanical equipment, which
is hidden away in the very tall ground floor
that was imposed by local code). Responsible
for most of the furnishings, the architects
were able to reduce classroom clutter, even
getting rid of radiators, since they chose to
install underfloor heating and cooling, sup-
plied by the Euroméditerranée hydrothermal
seawater system. With such ingenious plan-
ning and detailing, this building sets a very
high bar for the renewal of Marseille’s ageing
school stock. n

Credits
ARCHITECT: Tautem Architecture — Adrian
Garcin, principal
ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT: BMC2 Architectes
ENGINEERS: BEST Portefaix (structural);
Elithis (m/e)
CONSULTANTS: Even Conseil (environmental);
Gui Jourdan (acoustics); Seri (infrastructure);
Ekos (soil decontamination)
CLIENT: Euroméditerranée
OWNER: city of Marseille
SIZE: 44,670 square feet
CONSTRUCTION COST: $13 million
COMPLETION DATE: January 2021

Sources
EXTERIOR CLADDING: Carl Stahl; Montibert;
Griesser; Kronoply OSB; Knauf; Girard Siniat
OUTDOOR FLEXIBLE-FLOOR COVERING:
Kompan
WINDOWS: Wincona; Menuiserie du Pharo
DOORS: Malerba; Delarosa
ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS: Rockfon
RESILIENT FLOORING: Forbo
RAISED FLOORING: Thermozyclus
PAINTS & STAINS: Unicalo

79
 K-12 SCHOOLS
Thoroughly Modern
Mahlum’s radical reinvention of a 1920s Oregon high school transforms its physical plant and culture.
BY RANDY GRAGG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER
IN 38 YEARS as an educator, Carol Campbell has enjoyed many at
Portland, Oregon’s Grant High School: nine years as a teacher, a parent
of two graduates, and—after stints as principal at two other regional
high schools—she was back to lead it in 2013. When voters passed a
school bond directing $138 million to Grant, Campbell turned down
the job of district superintendent to lead the school’s modernization.
“Grant was built in 1923 for the way education has been delivered over
the last 100 years,” she says. “We had a chance to break up that model to
deliver instruction more creatively.”
Hired to substantially upgrade the school in 2015, the local office of
Mahlum Architects quickly learned that when Campbell uses the
pronoun “we,” she means it. In decades of designing over 200 schools,
the architects at Mahlum had never engaged in such a collaborative
design process, says project designer Rene Berndt: more than 100
user-group meetings, four public workshops, and a dozen meetings
80 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
with a more than 20-person design-advisory group (DAG). Faculty,
parents, preservationists, and neighborhood activists weighed in. So, of
course, did students, with Campbell inviting full-throated participa-
tion from kids of color and those who identify as transgender.
Grant is as close as any school might come to being famous. In 1954, a
national magazine declared Grant “the best high school in America.”
The choir room starred in the 1995 movie Mr. Holland’s Opus, and the
existing skylit space that was formerly a gym—a separate structure with
classic open trusses and squeaky maple floors—has appeared in Nike
commercials.
But for the students, any grandeur the 1920s Classical Revival build-
ings once held had become encrusted in a palimpsest of 1950s and ’60s
additions and adaptations. Thirty percent of the school’s usable space
was in the basement, a dark purgatory with a cafeteria largely for stu-
dents enrolled in the free-lunch program, many of whom were youth of
THE HISTORICALLY
significant Grant High
School (opposite)
was restored and
enhanced by new
courtyards (above)
and solar arrays, one
above a bike shelter
(right).

81
 K-12 SCHOOLS

THE REMOVAL of mid-20th-century additions integrates the school

with an adjacent park (left and opposite, bottom). New windows and
terraces (opposite, top) illuminate former basement spaces.

color. Everyone else ate in the upper corridors, in the park, or at

McDonald’s.
In addition to seismic, energy, and daylighting upgrades
mandated by the school district, Campbell and the stakehold-
ers asked Mahlum for a building that would drive a shift in the
school’s teaching and learning methods, safety protocols, and
equity among staff and students. “We were trying to figure out
a new model of education,” Campbell says, “but we didn’t
know what it would look like.” Both students and faculty
wanted collaborative areas with tables and flex space. While
Grant had notable art and theater programs, it did not offer
“career and technical education” (CTE), with makerspaces to
learn culinary arts, engineering, fashion, and other applied
skills. Having been a principal at two schools with strong CTE
programs, Campbell had witnessed higher graduation rates.
“Given the cost of college,” she adds, “it was our obligation to
provide opportunities to explore different areas in high school.”
Mahlum’s strategy reduced the number of traditional class-
rooms and the school’s overall footprint. “We respected the
building’s history by removing the additions and creating new
ones that take the school back to its roots,” says Mahlum’s proj-
ect manager, Alyssa Leeviraphan. Gone is a Monopoly-board

PHOTOGRAPHY: © BRUCE FOSTER (TOP)

0 80 FT.
LOWER-LEVEL PLAN FIRST-LEVEL PLAN UPPER-LEVEL PLAN
25 M.

n FITNESS/ATHLETICS n SPECIAL EDUCATION n COMMONS

n CLASSROOMS n ADMINISTRATION n KITCHEN

n EXTENDED LEARNING n ACADEMIC SUPPORT n MUSIC/ART

82 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
cluster of midcentury outbuildings. At the same time, the architects and as wood paneling elsewhere, school colors and mascots intact. The
expanded the old school with a 30-foot-wide, three-story bay on its west new bay and gym echo the original building’s brickwork and windows
side, adding a gym wing that enhances the Beaux-Arts symmetry. with contemporary flair.
Inside, dreary double-loaded halls lined with lockers have been The LEED-Silver renovation features a 325-kilowatt solar array—the
transformed, with large classrooms on the building’s historic side that largest of any school in the state—topping much of the main building
open to a “collaboration corridor”: a mix of various-size meeting spaces and covering an outdoor bike shelter between the gym and the theater. By
and smaller, open-plan offices. Windows in the bay filter daylight into demolishing a ’50s-era addition, the architects were able to create a grassy
the basement, where one of two new cafeterias and a fitness lab now 1,200-cubic-yard water-infiltration zone to mitigate storm drainage.
spill onto sunken courtyards. Most students eat at school now. Among the improvements, the DAG sought to provide a greater
Staircases too have become destinations. The architects opened the
central flights on all levels, so each landing faces a school asset: a theater,
meeting room for alumni, and one of several glass-walled CTE spaces,
where equipment, from sewing machines to 3-D printers, is displayed
like items in a gallery. At the building’s ends, stairwells are flanked by
“collaborative forums,” with stepped concrete seating for classes, guest
speakers, and a biannual student-run event centered around discussions
about race and diversity. To shed light on such activities, linear lumi-
naires now zigzag through the halls and facilitate wayfinding while
providing a break from the building’s architectural formality.
Mr. Holland might not recognize the refurbished theater, which has
fewer seats, updated sound and lighting, and ADA-compliant acces-
sibility, while maintaining—with a special variance—its original
stained-glass exit signs. The only remaining outbuilding, the original
gym, has been turned into an arts facility, with studios around a dou-
ble-height gallery beneath a restored skylight. The design team reused
the old gym floors and bleachers both as flooring in the arts building

83
 K-12 SCHOOLS

84 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
AMPLE GLAZING, collaborative corridors, and
all-gender restrooms (opposite) create friendly
environments. The old gym is now an arts
center—daylit by a skylight (right).

sense of inclusivity. Long before gender-

neutral bathrooms became a national issue,
Grant opened stand-alone staff bathrooms for
students uncomfortable in group lavatories.
But pupils in the Queer Straight Alliance,
and others, argued at stakeholder meetings
that gendered group bathrooms, besides being
discriminatory, further illicit activities, bully-
ing, and harassment—harmful to all. To
address these concerns, Mahlum replaced the
restrooms with fully enclosed individual stalls
that flank shared sinks open to the halls for
visibility and security. Some students were
wary about sharing. “But the new bathrooms
are cleaner, because everyone knows they’re
going to be shared—sometimes with teach-
ers,” says Maddie Patterson, a member of the
first senior class at the refurbished school. The
design is now standard for the school district.
The flexible design is holding up to unan-
ticipated tests: enrollment has surged from
the planned 1,800 to 2,000. Senior Zach
Olson feels that everyone is getting some-
thing that will be a benefit to their high
school experience. “It’s a whole lot less like
going to a prison.” n

Portland, Oregon-based Randy Gragg writes

about architecture and urban issues.
Credits
ARCHITECT: Mahlum Architects — Alyssa
Leeviraphan, Andrew Weller-Gordon,
Chris Brown, Bryan Holler, Emi Day, Mike
Kolander, Keyna Mulvaney, Rene Berndt,
Jeremy Thompson, Pip Allen, Stephen Endy,
JoAnn Hindmarsh Wilcox, Dwayne Epp, Yasu
Yanagisawa, Jennifer Lubin, Sean Murphy, Diane
Shiner, design team
ASSOCIATE ARCHICTECT:
Peter Meijer Architect
ENGINEERS: Interface Engineering (m/e);
Mazzetti/BHE Group (civil)
CONSULTANTS: Mayer/Reed (landscape
architect)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Andersen/Colas Construction
CLIENT: Portland Public Schools
SIZE: 293,000 square feet
TOTAL COST: $158.5 million
COMPLETION DATE: September 2019

Sources
EXTERIOR CLADDING: Mutual Materials;
Arcadia; Morin; Quikcrete; Rockwool
WINDOWS: Chosen Wood Window; Winco
GLAZING: Hartung; Sunoptics (skylights)

85
 K-12 SCHOOLS
A Place in the Sun
Architects Moore Ruble Yudell and HED exploit open spaces indoors and out in a Santa Monica high school.
BY SARAH AMELAR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY INESSA BINENBAUM
ACCORDING TO some predictions, 65 percent of preschoolers
today will hold jobs that do not yet exist. Whether such statistical
forecasts are precisely accurate, it’s undeniable that technology and
pedagogical approaches are in flux, challenging age-old models for
classrooms with tidy rows of students facing a teacher in front. Ideas
that learning can happen more effectively in other ways—with, for
example, less formal clusters, in self-paced and interactive modes—
have increasingly permeated the mainstream. “It’s become clear that
schools need to be designed to accommodate long-range unknowns, as
86 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
well as spatial needs that shift even over the course of an ordinary
school day,” says architect John Dale, principal of HED and cofounder
of the Council on Open Building (OB), which advocates for nimble
adaptability of architecture, as well as of entire cities. Dale was eager to
apply OB principles to an educational facility from the ground up—the
first in the U.S.—and that opportunity came with the 260,000-square-
foot Discovery building that HED designed, in collaboration with
Moore Ruble Yudell (MRY), for Santa Monica High School, the
public institution affectionately known as Samohi. But the versatility
ALONG THE western side of the Discovery building is an Olympic-size swimming pool (above). Volumes are pulled apart and windows deep-pochéd and
painted yellow to break up the massing of the 260,000-square-foot structure (top). Plazas, stairs, and courtyard spaces abound (opposite).

87
 K-12 SCHOOLS

of this project, begun in 2017, was put to the

test sooner than expected. By opening day, in
5 1 August 2021, Discovery’s resilient interiors
had been readily reconfigured for the social
distancing, reduced class sizes, and ventilation
adjustments the pandemic demanded. “What
we accomplished would not have been pos-
3 8
sible in our old building,” says Carey Upton,
chief operating officer of the Santa Monica-
3 Malibu Unified School District, in Los
4 Angeles County.
2
3 The five-story, $155 million Discovery
7 building—which includes classrooms, admin-
A A
istration offices, a large cafeteria, a suite for
12 medically fragile students, an Olympic-length
outdoor pool, and a two-level parking ga-
11
11 10

1 CAMPUS ENTRANCE 7 MEETING/

2 SWIMMING POOL CONFERENCE

3 CLASSROOMS 8 LABS

4 DINING 9 ADMINISTRATION

5 CENTENNIAL PLAZA 10 KITCHEN

6 COMMONS 11 SUPPORT

12 FREEDOM WALK
1

0 100 FT.
MAIN-FLOOR SITE PLAN
30 M.

9 6
6

6 11

0 50 FT.
SECOND-FLOOR PLAN THIRD-FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

3 9 6
6
9 6

4 7
13

0 50 FT.
SECTION A - A
15 M.

88 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
rage—was designed with loungelike common
areas in place of dedicated corridors, and
movable interior partitions throughout, maxi-
mizing flexibility. The project is part of a
2010 phased master plan by R.L. Binder
Architects (RLBA) to renew the 26-acre,
99-year-old campus (concurrent with adaptive
restoration of some of its early structures).
The Innovation building, by RLBA, com-
pleted in 2016, has a STEM emphasis,
whereas Discovery focuses largely on the
humanities. Samohi’s “house” system divides
its student body of 3,000 into more intimate
groups of about 600, each with its own prin-
cipal, home base, and primary areas of study.
Discovery contains two houses.
Its Open Building strategy is based on a
permanent shell-and-core structure, with
reconfigurable, reprogrammable, even re-
placeable fit-outs—enabling the building to
evolve and remain sustainable over a long
lifespan. In response to workshops with
teachers, staff, administrators, and pupils, the
architects designed a loft-type building—a
plaster-clad shell and prefabricated steel
moment-frame skeleton with a uniform,
32-by-38-foot column grid, making interior
shear walls unnecessary. To enhance flexibil-
ity, vertical mechanical shafts are distributed
evenly throughout, and most classrooms,
commons, and labs have raised floors—con-
taining electrical, data, water, and supply-air
networks—allowing for relatively easy reloca-
tion of ports, outlets, and diffusers, as needed.
Instead of deep rectangular floor plates,
Discovery’s footprint is U-shaped, ushering
ECHOING the
daylight across the interiors. The U defines an rhythms of the
open-ended courtyard, laced with overhead outdoor staircase in
walkways and a broad stairway—with a the central courtyard
growing green wall behind stadium and is a wood stair with
regular steps—providing the building with stadium seating to
encourage casual
exterior circulation options, as well as social-
study (above). Under
gathering perches. Most of the interior verti- the stair, a bench
cal circulation rises along the plan’s perimeter, angles around the
keeping the floor plates unencumbered. corner to offer an
Echoing the rhythms of the big outdoor intimate sitting
staircase, a wide indoor one forms a casual area (left).
amphitheater, descending into a communal
area. Each commons has a long whiteboard
wall, with interactive video projectors along-
side reconfigurable clusters of easy chairs and
tables, encouraging spontaneous collabora-
tion. “We treat the entire building as a learn-
ing space,” says Upton. Glass-and-metal
folding walls open the classrooms visually and
physically to the commons. With similarly
blurred boundaries, the 12,000-square-foot
multipurpose cafeteria—with its glazed ga-
rage-style doors—spills outside to a plaza.

89
 K-12 SCHOOLS

the school grounds, which open to the public after hours and on week-
ends, allowing for sharing of the swimming pool and meeting spaces.
But the students are the main focus. “When they first walked into
the new building,” says principal Antonio Shelton, “many said, ‘Wow,
this is like a college campus!’ ” And now, at the end of the day, when
they’re still collaborating in the commons, he adds, “We have to tell
them, ‘Hey, it’s time to go home!’ ”
Across campus, MRY and HED have already broken ground for the
master plan’s next phase, to include athletic, dance, and yoga facilities;
media, recording, photo, and design labs—and more. But with all their
work at Samohi, “completing construction is just the beginning; the
process of change continues,” says MRY principal in charge James Mary
O’Connor. “It’s about preparing this place for its next 100 years.” n

Credits SIZE: 260,000 square feet

DESIGN ARCHITECTS: Moore COST: $155 million
Ruble Yudell — James Mary COMPLETION DATE: August 2021
O’Connor, design principal; John
This dining hub serves the entire campus, with its kitchen also prepar- Ruble, partner; Takuji Mukaiyama,
ing meals for other district schools. Open-air learning areas will soon Anthony Wang, project managers. Sources
HED — John Dale, principal in METAL PANELS/CURTAIN WALL/
extend to a roof deck with a weather station, hydroponic and aquaponic charge; David Decker, Steffen FRAME: Arcadia
labs, an aquarium, and a panel registering the performance of the build- Leisner, project managers; Duane
Fisher, project architect GLASS: Vitro Architectural Glass
ing’s own sustainable systems (which incorporate electricity-generating
ARCHITECT OF RECORD: HED ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS:
PV panels and pool-heating solar collectors).
Armstrong; MDC ZintraBaffles
Playing against the interior’s adaptability, the exterior has a more ENGINEERS: Saiful Bouquet
Structural Engineers (structural); WINDOW TREATMENT:
permanent, self-contained character, with its white-plastered facades Mechoshade
Wheeler and Gray (civil)
(highlighted by deep, yellow window surrounds) and curving corners PAINTS AND STAINS:
CONSULTANTS: Pamela Burton &
honoring Samohi’s Streamline Moderne architectural legacy. Also im- Company (landscape) Sherwin-Williams
portant were connections between the community and campus—just a CLIENT: Santa Monica-Malibu WALLCOVERINGS: Forbo
few blocks from the beach, amid residential and commercial areas, and Unified School District/Santa
bound to the north by the I-10 freeway. Michigan Avenue runs through Monica High School

90 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
BRIDGES AND
STAIRS link the two
wings (this page); a
cafeteria with glazed
garage-style doors
connects to the plaza
(opposite, top) and
loungelike areas
open to terraces
and classrooms
(opposite, bottom).

91
 K-12 SCHOOLS
Opportunity Zone
Two Philadelphia public schools converge in a building by Rogers Partners—part of an emerging boomtown.
BY BY JAMES S. RUSSELL, FAIA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT WARGO
WHERE THE CORNERS of a new public school building in West
Philadelphia form knuckles in plan, angular stairways topped by clere-
stories reconcile the skewed U-shaped geometry imposed by the site,
creating diagonal vistas, intriguing views, and diverse spaces illumi-
nated by an abundance of ever-changing daylight. Reconciliation, in
fact, could be the theme of this 87,000-square-foot structure, hosting
two schools, designed by the New York firm Rogers Partners Archi-
tects+Urban Designers. Programmatically, the corner joints reconcile
the distinctive pedagogies of the Samuel Powel Elementary School and
the Science Leadership Academy, a middle school, each of which
occupies its own floor, serving a total of 746 pupils. The relatively
small scale of the building draws the fine 19th-century row-house
grain of the adjacent Powelton Village neighborhood into a large new
commercial and academic development rising around the school, un-
dertaken by the real-estate developer Wexford Science & Technology
92 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
in partnership with Drexel University, the landowner and sponsor of
the school.
The building layout is deceptively straightforward: the wings book-
end a two-story classroom bar. One wing culminates in a double-
height cafetorium (a term denoting both lunchroom and auditorium),
the other a gym. Both dining and sports halls are largely glazed in
translucent polycarbonate that diffuses daylight and shares their activi-
ties with passersby. The wings also enclose a playground with a land-
scaped mound, framed by wood bleachers, as a soft divider between
play spaces for the lower and upper schools.
Add the differing pedagogic approaches of the two schools, and the
design becomes more intricate. The K-4 Powel elementary school,
which moved to the ground floor from a long-overcrowded building
nearby, teaches in a traditional, rigorous, even regimented style. “They
line up to move from place to place, for example, and we needed to
A SLAMS collaboration area overlooks the visitors entry (opposite)
that leads to the shared main lobby (this page). The cladding mixes
textured and smooth brick with zinc-composite panels.

93
 K-12 SCHOOLS

WA
R RE
NS
TR
EE
T

8
4

1
2

36TH STREET
GROUND-FLOOR PLAN

n SLAMS MIDDLE SCHOOL

n POWEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

n SHARED SPACES

n ADMINISTRATION

n BUILDING SUPPORT
13

12

PROGRAMMATIC DIAGRAM

0 50 FT.
SECOND-FLOOR PLAN
15 M.

1 VISITOR LOBBY 5 KINDERGARTEN 9 ART ROOM 13 COMMONS

2 ADMINISTRATION 6 CLASSROOM 10 LIBRARY 14 SCIENCE LAB

3 CAFETORIUM 7 GYM 11 PLAY YARD 15 MAKERSPACE

4 POWEL CORRIDOR 8 MUSIC ROOM 12 SLAMS CORRIDOR

make room for that,” says Elizabeth Stoel, the Rogers associate partner
who directed the project.
By contrast, the School District of Philadelphia’s model for the
Science Leadership Academy Middle School (known as SLAMS) on
the upper floor, emphasizes science and engineering. Aimed at grades
5 through 8, the school’s curriculum is project-based; its wide hallway
and expansive square footage at the circulation “knuckles” allow stu-
dents to spill out of classrooms to work in groups. “SLAMS invites
occupancy of all these spaces,” says partner Rob Rogers. They “break
down the idea that the classroom is the only place where learning
happens.” Science labs open off these collaborative areas, as does a
library and a makerspace used by both schools. (Music rooms in Powel
are also shared.) Both schools host a variety of classroom sizes, from
conventional rooms serving a couple of dozen students to smaller ones
for children with special needs and small-group work. All are light-
filled, thanks to oversize windows. To retain their separate identities,
each institution has its own entrance facing the playground.
“We were able to introduce this generosity of space and light on a
tight construction budget,” explains Rogers. The $33 million steel-
framed building has concrete-plank floors, polished on top and left raw
on the underside in classrooms to allow for 12-foot-high ceilings.
For all the attention to programmatic needs, the design is also sensi-
tive to its fast-changing surroundings. The Powel/SLAMS 1.8-acre
parcel is at the northern edge of the 14-acre, innovation-focused rede-

94 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
THE SCHOOL buffers
a low-rise residential
area from the towers
being built to its
south and west
(opposite). At its rear,
a playground (above)
is flanked by a
polycarbonate-clad
gym (left) and
cafetorium.

95
 K-12 SCHOOLS

velopment being built by the Wexford/Drexel

collaboration. Called uCity Square, it is
located west of the university’s campus, north
of the University of Pennsylvania, and east of
a major hospital complex.
Wexford plans an 8 million-square-foot
mix of speculative life-sciences labs and
offices aimed at businesses connected to
university research (at both Penn and Drexel),
along with multifamily housing and retail.
Construction is proceeding at a torrid pace,
with 1.3 million square feet of commercial,
academic, and residential space rising around
the school. This includes a looming 14-story
health-sciences building for Drexel, with a
busy pattern of glass and sallow yellow metal
panels, across a narrow alley from the school.
The alley will be landscaped to create an
appealing pedestrian path through the block,
though the tower, regrettably, blocks essential
winter daylight from reaching the playground.
After a community-consultation process,
Drexel agreed to sponsor the construction of
the school building and brokered the mar-
riage of Powel and SLAMS with the School
District of Philadelphia as a benefit to neigh-
bors concerned about the scale of develop-
ment. The university, especially through its
School of Education, has long worked with
Powel at its previous location. Today it sup-
ports teachers in the new schools, brings in its
students as tutors, and provides enrichment at
SLAMS by offering a wide variety of mini-
courses.
The intention to build a school that would
ostensibly benefit from proximity to univer-
sities and R&D spinoffs unfortunately
echoes the woeful creation in the 1970s of
University City, an urban-renewal scheme
encompassing a large area adjacent to the
A STAIR (top, left)
two campuses that obliterated a longstand- leads from the
ing African-American community. The first-floor Powel
University City district still exists, but it block and such
grew much more slowly than anticipated, shared facilities as
leaving empty land and parking lots. The the cafetorium
Wexford/Drexel parcel had once hosted the (above), gym, and
library (right), up to
University City High School, built in 1972
the SLAMS area and
with high aspirations for teaching-excellence makerspace, also
PHOTOGRAPHY: © ALBERT VECERKA (TOP, LEFT)

and collaboration. The school floundered, shared (left).

however, and was demolished to make way
for the current development. With its build-
ings cheek by jowl, the commercial and
higher-education buildings benefit from the
light, air, and open space provided by the
Powell/SLAMS school. There is no reason
that University City’s history must repeat
itself and every reason that the stakeholders
involved must ensure that promises made to
local students and families are kept. n

96 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
Credits Sources
ARCHITECT: Rogers Partners — MASONRY: Endicott Brick
Rob Rogers, principal in charge; ZINC PANELS: Alpolic
Elizabeth Stoel, project director;
Johanna Dickson, project architect; CURTAIN WALL: Kawneer
Spring Braccia-Beck, senior WINDOWS: Intus
designer; Eduardo Llinas-Messeguer,
TRANSLUCENT WALL PANELS:
Samantha Ding, design team
Duo-Gard (polycarbonate)
ENGINEERS: CVM (structural);
ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS: Certain Teed
Meloria Design (civil); WFT
Engineering (building systems) SOLID SURFACING: Krion
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: TILE: Daltile
BSI Construction RESILIENT FLOORING: Armstrong
CONSULTANTS: Andropogon CARPET: Shaw Contract
Associates (landscape design); The
ATHLETIC FLOORING: Robbins
Lighting Practice (lighting design);
Shen Milsom & Wilke (acoustics, a/v, GYM EQUIPMENT AND FINISHES:
IT/security) Draper
CLIENT: Drexel University
SIZE: 87,000 square feet
TOTAL COST: $42 million
COMPLETION DATE: December 2020

97
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TOP ARCHITECTURAL SCHOOLS,
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 CEU CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Risk Management
Designers create learning environments that respond to the threats of a warming planet.
BY JOANN GONCHAR, FAIA
IF SIMPLE observation hasn’t made it clear,
the report released by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this past
August left little doubt: the earth is warming
at an alarming rate. Even if mankind sharply
cuts greenhouse emissions immediately—and
quick action seems unlikely, given the out-
come of the international climate summit in
Glasgow in November—a hotter future is
essentially assured, says the IPCC’s panel of
scientists, convened by the United Nations.
100 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
As the planet continues to warm, the report
says, changes that are already happening to
our climate—from more intense rainfall in
some regions, to drought in others, to extreme
heat in many—will escalate, further endan-
gering ecosystems and human health.
The takeaway for architects is that they
must do more than design buildings that
mitigate climate change through measures to
reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions—they
need to create buildings adapted to the im-
pacts of global warming that will come or are
already here.
Arguably, no typology is more important
in this regard than schools, since they safe-
guard society’s most vulnerable. And when
schools aren’t up to the climate and severe
weather challenge, the continuity of educa-
tion suffers—as it did after the 2017 hurri-
canes Irma and Maria, when some K-12
schools in Puerto Rico were closed for up to
70 days. Then there is California, where
 A HILLTOP VILLAGE of simple volumes (above)
replaces buildings on the Ojai Valley School’s
Upper Campus, in Ventura County, California,
destroyed in 2017 by the Thomas Fire (right).
school closures affected nearly 1.3 million
students due to wildfires during the 2018–19
academic year.
Architects might not be able to anticipate
exactly how a particular climate event or
weather disaster might unfold, but they can
design so that the impact is minimized and
the likelihood that their buildings bounce
back quickly is improved. Here, record looks
at three educational environments—a private
PHOTOGRAPHY: © LOGAN HALL (2)
school campus near the Southern California
coast, a public high school in the Pacific
Northwest, and a series of schoolyards in
Paris. All are designed not only with resil-
ience in mind, but also to enhance students’
everyday experience.
The threat of wildfire is more than aca-
demic for students at the Ojai Valley School
(OVS), in Ventura County, California. One
night in early December 2017, a blaze sparked
by a fallen power line a day earlier ripped
through the private K-12 school’s 195-acre
Upper Campus, which is dramatically placed
on a hillside, about seven miles away from the
original, Lower Campus in the valley below.
The conflagration would eventually spread to
neighboring Santa Barbara County and
scorch 280,000 acres before being contained
several weeks later, making it then the largest
wildfire in the state’s history. (Soberingly, a
mere four years later, the fire has fallen to
No. 8.) In just a few hours, it reduced two
OVS midcentury timber structures—the girls’
dorm and a science center—to charred rubble.
Luckily no one was injured.
The boarding school was able to get back
up and running for the start of the January
term with trailers on a soccer field. And
because Los Angeles–based Frederick Fisher
and Partners (FF&P) had already been work-
ing with OVS on a master plan for the Upper
Campus, the school could move immediately
into schematic design for permanent struc-
tures, finishing construction in time for the
2021–22 school year. The new $16.5 million
complex includes a combined library and
dining commons that had emerged as a prior-
ity during the planning process, as well as the
replacements for the dormitory and the sci-
ence center. The 37,000-square-foot assem-
blage reimagines the upper campus as a hill-
top village, with clustered white boxes around
courtyards and a central plaza, which in turn
frame views of the valley and the mountains.
Notably, OVS never considered rebuilding
elsewhere, even though the Upper Campus
sits in the wildland-urban interface (WUI)—
the zone where wilderness and human devel-
opment meet and there is plentiful vegetation
that could serve as fuel for wildfires. “Nature
is part of the school’s ethos and is central to
the curriculum,” explains FF&P founder
101
 CEU CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Frederick Fisher, whose son is a student at
OVS. “Staying in that location was never in
question.”
The new campus, however, takes the risks
into account. The outdoor plaza, for instance,
is designed to double as fire-fighting access.
4
5 The new structures, framed in wood and steel
(materials chosen for their construction speed
and flexibility), are finished in stucco. And
3 they are protected with an enhanced sprinkler
2
system. But, most significantly, the buildings’
roofs have only small parapets, without attics,
overhangs, or eaves, while their ground floors
1
2 are built as slabs on grade. “There are no
cavities or crawl spaces for embers to hide,”
says FF&P partner Takashige Ikawa, noting
that the old science center was at first thought
6 5 to have been spared, but windborne embers
had penetrated the attic and smoldered undis-
covered for several hours before igniting the
1 SCHOOL BUILDING entire building.
7
2 GARAGE ACCESS
The architectural fire-resistive strategies
3 FOOTBALL FIELD
work hand in hand with the landscape de-
sign, which combines native species, includ-
4 TRACK
ing yarrows, heuchera, and sedges, with
5 PARKING
8 other low-growing but non-native plants to
6 BUS PARKING
create defensible space in the first 20 feet
7 BASEBALL FIELD closest to the structures. “The resinous
8 SOFTBALL FIELD nature and high oil content of many native
chaparral plants make them too flammable
0 60 FT.
for areas near buildings,” explains Mary
SITE PLAN 18 M. Sager McFadden, a principal at Pamela
102 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
Burton & Company in Santa Monica, the
project’s landscape architect. Farther from
the structures, shade is provided with coast
live oaks, which have small waxy leaves and
thick trunks, making them naturally resis-
tant to fire, says McFadden. Even so, the
oaks have been placed so that at maturity
their canopies will be 10 feet apart and 10
feet from the buildings.
Also augmenting the complex’s resilience
is a pre-existing photovoltaic (PV) array,
which now includes battery storage. This
system should allow the campus to operate
without power from the grid about 90 per-
cent of the year, and provides a backup
should wildfire, extreme weather, or some
other event, cause a grid failure. The genera-
tion and storage capabilities are two of sev-
eral features that have put the buildings on
track for LEED Gold.
In the case of Snoqualmie, Washington’s
new Mount Si High School, which opened in
2019, water, not fire, was the chief concern.
The residents of this small city, about 30
miles east of Seattle, have been living with
seasonal flooding for generations. So when it
came time to replace its aging and too-small
high school on the same flood-prone river-
valley site, its designers, NAC Architecture,
elevated the 350,000-square-foot building
above about half of the suburban school’s 700
parking spaces.
 Stacking the school over parking estab-
lishes what Matt Rumbaugh, NAC principal,
refers to as a “new ground plane”—one that is
5 feet above the 100-year-flood level and 2
feet above what code requires. On top of this
plinth, the 2,300-student school—one of the
largest high schools in the state—has been
organized as small learning academies in
seven interconnected three-story buildings.
Social and informal learning spaces, both
indoors and out, are woven among them to
create human-scaled environments.
The obvious advantage of this configura-
tion is improved flood resilience. But there
are others as well. By placing the building on
top of parking, more of the 32-acre site is left
available for uses such as sports and recre-
ation. Another benefit, notes Boris Srdar,
NAC design principal, is that, by lifting the
school up one story, the views of the nearby
mountains are “amplified and made more
powerful.”
Floods and wildfires present obvious dan-
gers. A more insidious hazard is extreme heat,
no less disruptive or potentially deadly. Cities
are especially vulnerable, due to the concen-
tration of impervious materials and surfaces
that absorb and retain heat. Paris has a par-
ticular problem: despite its capacious tree-
lined boulevards, it has only 62 square feet of
green space per person, well below the World
Health Organization’s recommendation of 97.
Western Europe’s scorching temperatures in
July and August 2003 killed more than 1,000
Parisians. A heatwave in early summer 2017
prompted a three-day closure of the city’s
schools. And prolonged periods of sweltering
temperatures are expected to become more
common: according to Météo-France, the
country’s meteorological service, by the end of
the century, Paris will experience heatwaves
10 to 25 days a year, compared to one day on
average currently.
One effort that aims to provide some relief
is the OASIS Schools initiative. Supported by
Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), a program
of the European Union, and begun in 2017,
OASIS has transformed 10 of Paris’s typical
PHOTOGRAPHY: © BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER (3)

schoolyards from areas that are almost en-

tirely paved and nearly devoid of anything
that grows, into green open spaces. The pilot
is part of an ongoing and larger undertaking,
with the goal of revamping all of the city’s
760 schoolyards by 2040 to create “cool is-
lands,” says Raphaëlle Thiollier, OASIS
schoolyards project manager for the city’s
department of education. ELEVATING the Mount Si High School in Washington State over a garage (opposite) protects it from
In addition to climate adaptation, OASIS floods (rendering, top). Outdoor (middle) and indoor (bottom) social spaces are interspersed
has other objectives, including teaching chil- throughout the 350,000-square-foot school, creating human-scaled environments.

103
 CEU CLIMATE ADAPTATION

ENCOURAGING adventurous and imaginative

play is one of the goals of the Parisian
schoolyards revamped as part of the OASIS
program (left and below).

children can scamper over, a small amphithe-

ater where they can gather, wickerwork huts
for hide-and-seek, and a vegetable garden
where they can grow their own food. In place
of the fence that previously divided the
younger students from the older ones, a
stream fed with rainwater collected from the
roof creates an implied boundary.
Academic partners of OASIS are currently
evaluating Maryse Hilsz and the other com-
pleted schoolyard projects for both their social
and climatological aspects, using such tools as
sensors, observation, and interviews, with the
first results expected later this year, says Thi-
ollier. But whatever the data indicate, it is
clear that the program has brought nature to
places where previously there was next to
none. Despite their very different settings, the
approach is not dissimilar to that at OVS and
Mount Si—to bring students into closer touch
with nature, thereby enriching the learning
environment and better preparing them for
the climate challenges ahead. n

dren about the environment, explains Maria
Sitzoglou, an architect who oversaw the pilot
for UIA. The project should also help create
social cohesion through a “co-design” process
in which architects from the public service
association, Conseil d’Architecture d’Urban-
isme et de l’Environnement, collaborated with
students and faculty. The finished schoolyards
themselves should also help establish a sense of
community within the surrounding neighbor-
hood, since the spaces are open to nearby
residents when school is not in session. Green-
ing all of Paris’s schoolyards would put every
city resident within 700 feet of a small park.
The 350-student Écoles Maternelle et
Élémentaire Maryse Hilsz—a kindergarten
and elementary school sharing the same site
in the 20th arrondissement, at the eastern
edge of Paris—is representative of the OASIS
projects. The schools’ separate but adjacent
recreation areas have been transformed from
30,000 square feet of pancake-flat asphalt,
with just a few scattered trees, to surfaces of
crushed stone, sand, pervious pavers, soil, and
plants (materials selected, in part, to help
manage stormwater).
Completed in March, the new landscape at
Maryse Hilsz includes mounds and hills that
CONTINUING EDUCATION
To earn one AIA learning unit
(LU), including one hour of health,
safety, and welfare (HSW) credit.
read “Risk Management,” review the supplemental
material found at architecturalrecord.com, and
complete the quiz at continuingeducation.bnpmedia.
com or by using the Architectural Record CE Center
app available in the iTunes store. Upon passing the
test, you will receive a certificate of completion, and
your credit will be automatically reported to the AIA.
Additional information regarding credit-reporting and
continuing-education requirements can be found at
continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com.
Learning Objectives
PHOTOGRAPHY: © THÉO MÉNIVARD/CAUE DE PARIS (2)
1 Explain the difference between climate mitigation
and climate adaptation.
2 Discuss changing weather patterns linked to global
warming.
3 Describe construction and landscape strategies
for making buildings more resistive to wildfires.
4 Discuss the social and climate-adaptation goals of
greening Parisian schoolyards.
AIA/CES Course #K2201A

104 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2

Academy of Digital Learning

Become an expert on a specific area of interest through our Academies of Digital Learning.
Theses academies allow you to focus on specific areas of design interest while earning some
or all of your annual CE requirements. Check out all our Academies at:

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Academy of Digital Learning
Focus On: Interiors
Become an expert on Interiors through Architectural Record’s
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5 AIA LU/Elective and a digital badge that demonstrates your mastery and achievement.

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Brought to you by
CONTINUING EDUCATION
In this section, you will find five compelling courses highlighting creative solutions for tomorrow’s buildings brought to you by industry leaders.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Read a course, and then visit our online Continuing Education Center at ce.architecturalrecord.com to take the quiz free of charge to earn credits.

Photo: Brad Feinknopf/OTTO; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products Photo: jamesteohart/Adobe Stock Photo courtesy of Marvin

p108 p116 p117

Health and Safety in The Top 10 Ways to Reduce Beyond Function: Designing
Hospitality and Retail Concrete's Carbon Footprint with Exterior Glass Doors to
Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, Sponsored by Build with Strength, a coalition of the Improve Well-Being
CornellCookson, Mitsubishi Electric, and Tamlyn National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Sponsored by Marvin

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Photo courtesy of Robert Stefanowicz Photography/3A Composites Photo courtesy of Watts

CATEGORIES
BE BUILDING ENVELOPE DESIGN
EM ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL
IN INTERIORS
LS LIFE SAFETY AND CODES
PM PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS
RE RESIDENTIAL
RR RENOVATION AND RESTORATION
SI SITE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN
ST STRUCTURAL
SU SUSTAINABILITY
p118 p120

Cladding Safety with Metal Composite Optimizing Snow-Melting Systems

Material (MCM) and the NFPA 285-19 Sponsored by Watts
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Courses may qualify for learning hours through most Canadian provincial architectural associations.

107
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Health and Safety in
Hospitality and Retail
Designing public places in a post-pandemic world
Sponsored by Bison Innovative Products, CornellCookson,
Mitsubishi Electric, and Tamlyn
By Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
T
he events of 2020 have brought a
new focus on health and safety to
many building types but especially
hospitality and retail settings. The ability
of hospitality venues to rise to public
health challenges quickly and provide
customers with assurances of cleanliness,
controlled exposure to others, and open,
well-ventilated spaces has become para-
mount. Retail establishments have many
of the same concerns but have also become
more aware of the need for safety and
protection in the event of unlawful entry
or looting. This course looks at some of
the ways that addressing these concerns is
108 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
possible through designs that incorporate
products, systems, or other components
with proven capabilities.
Relatedly, The American Institute of
Architects (AIA) quickly recognized that
there are changing needs not only in the
ways that retail and hospitality buildings
are operated but also how they are designed
or renovated. As a result, during 2020,
the AIA established a team of architects,
public health experts, engineers, and
facility managers to assess and prepare the
built environment for reopening during
outbreak cycles of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, a report was issued titled
Photo: Brad Feinknopf/OTTO; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products
Hospitality and retail settings
are seeking a return of business
following the pandemic, and
architects are designing spaces
now to help with ongoing public
health, safety, and welfare.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW
Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should
be able to:
1. Identify systems that help architects
create outdoor spaces that are safe
for restaurants, hospitality venues,
and retail areas.
2. Assess some of the common options
available to provide enhanced HVAC
systems that protect human health
while addressing energy concerns.
3. Explain the importance of selecting
products for interior surfaces that are
hygienic, easy to clean, and durable
for the safety and health of occupants.
4. Determine ways to incorporate
rolling overhead doors and grilles
that improve safety and security in
retail and hospitality buildings.
To receive AIA credit, you are required to
read the entire article and pass the quiz.
Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com for the
complete text and to take the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2106D

“Reopening America: Strategies for Safer
Buildings” (available for free on the AIA
website). This AIA report, as we will refer
to it throughout this course, identifies some
basic health issues and operational actions for
consideration in retail and hospitality settings.
CREATING USABLE OUTDOOR SPACES
While retail and hospitality buildings are
often focused on the interior spaces, the
pandemic created an immediate and growing
desire to find outdoor spaces for people to
safely use, particularly in hotels and res-
taurants. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and the AIA report
indicate that people are less likely to spread
disease in outdoor settings than inside build-
ings. Rooftop decks, terraces, and patios are a
way for hospitality and retail spaces to create
such outdoor eating, lounging, or bar areas.
Similarly, parklets, or pop-up parks, can help
restaurants and other businesses by offering
outdoor sidewalk café settings to accommo-
date more patrons. The challenge architects
face when designing these spaces is finding
a suitable system of materials that is both
durable and aesthetically pleasing while also
being able to accommodate sloped substrates,
delicate waterproofing membranes, and other
common structural elements.
Modular Deck Systems
The answer to this design challenge is often
found in modular and versatile deck systems
that are supported by either fixed- and/or
adjustable-height pedestals. Such pedestal
deck systems can commonly be used over any
structural surface: on bare structural decks,
rooftop decks, roof membranes, green roofs,
plazas/terraces, compacted grade, pavement,
or pool surrounds. These systems typically
allow architects to use a variety of deck surface
materials, including wood, stone, structural
porcelain, crushed rock, grating, artificial turf,
and even concrete to create unique custom
looks that are consistent with the design intent
of the surrounding spaces. An adjustable-
height pedestal system is also an ideal solution
for water-feature applications. The system con-
ceals the water supply between the pedestals
and beneath the surface materials, allowing
water to drain to the surface below for recy-
cling. Additionally, these supports are imper-
vious to water, mold, and most chemicals.
Pop-Up Parks
An emerging trend is to create an outdoor
space in the form of a “pop-up park.” These
are commonly used to reclaim car-designated
zones (i.e., parking spaces or extra traf-
fic lanes) for pedestrian use. Pop-up parks
vary in size and could encompass a one-car
parking space, many spaces linked together,
a reclaimed portion of a lot, a whole block,
or a full lane. Many parks offer seating areas,
gardens, bike parking, exercise, and other
amenities. They were first recognized in
San Francisco and New York in programs
like Pavement to Parks. In some cases,
these parks were defined as “removable”
to expedite design review, permitting, and
construction.
To create pop-up parks, level platforms,
such as modular pedestal decks, are built on
top of existing pavement and populated with
planters, railing, benches, furniture, and
other accessories. This allows for low instal-
lation costs since they can be installed in a
way that does not require reconfiguring the
streetscape, doing much if any demolition,
or altering utilities. They are typically paired
with nearby businesses to help with their use
and upkeep. Sometimes, parks can be hosted
or sponsored by local groups and organiza-
tions that pay to design and build them and
agree to keep them maintained. They are
usually small scale, affordable, flexible, and
often temporary or mobile.
Regardless of where or how they are used,
adjustable-height deck systems commonly
incorporate three types of components as
described in the following sections.
Outdoor spaces such as roof terraces have become prized for their ability to provide
appealing, safe spaces for retail and hospitality buildings.
Pop-up parks reclaim outdoor spaces for pedestrian use, including seating and dining, making
them ideal for restaurants and other establishments to provide options for their customers.
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Deck Supports
Adjustable-height pedestals are the fun-
CONTINUING EDUCATION
damental support system for the deck and
have become recognized as one of the most
labor- and cost-efficient methods of creat-
ing a level deck over a moderately sloped
surface. High-density polypropylene plastic
that is 100 percent recyclable is a common
material used to manufacture the supports.
This makes them impervious to water,
mold, and freeze-thaw cycles. Their adjust-
ability offers tremendous design flexibility
compared to traditional deck-building
materials and methods. Using a gravity
system, the supports do not penetrate but
rather protect roofing and waterproofing
membranes thus, causing no damage or
harm to the surface below.
The location of the pedestals is typically
based on a modular layout that follows
the size of the material used on the deck
surface. Commonly, this is a 2-foot x 2-foot
square grid, although many other sizes are
possible as well. Adjustable pedestals are
available in a range of heights and weight-
bearing capacities to suit a variety of
conditions or needs. Those decks carrying
more weight or requiring more height
to achieve a level condition will need a
higher grade of pedestal. Adjustable-height
pedestal systems can support decks over
occupied spaces, allowing space for electri-
cal systems, duct work, and irrigation.
Photos courtesy of Bison Innovative Products
Photos: John Mannillo; courtesy of Bison Innovative Products
109
 HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL
Deck Surfaces
The versatility of adjustable pedestal deck
CONTINUING EDUCATION
supports means that they can be used to el-
evate a variety of decking surface materials.
The common options include pavers made
from concrete or stone, such as granite or
travertine. Similarly, structural porcelain
tiles, fiberglass grating, composite materi-
als, or conventional wood decking systems
can be used in a grid pattern to meet differ-
ent design requirements. Typically, a galva-
nized steel paver tray is installed on top of
the pedestals to support structural porcelain
pavers or others. Surface materials can be
removed for routine maintenance, repairs to
the roof, or to gain access to other systems.
If a lighter-weight surface material is
preferred or needed, wood tiles are a good
alternative, weighing only one-third as
much as concrete tiles. Typically made from
hardwoods in a variety of species, wood tiles
are commercial grade, responsibly harvested,
and available in standard and FSC-certified
hardwood options for sustainability. If
maintaining the wood color is desired, wood
tiles can be periodically cleaned and sealed.
Left to weather naturally, the wood tiles will
develop a silvery-gray patina.
Site Furnishings
Manufacturers of pedestal deck systems
also offer coordinated, modular elements
that are designed to integrate with their
deck systems while giving the architect
complete design flexibility. Modular wood
cubes are available with an array of design
options to incorporate seating, storage, and
planters. Such cubes are available with a
polyurethane lining and drainage holes to
host plant life. At other times of the year,
the cubes can be repurposed for seating and
storage of seasonal items (i.e., cushions and
pillows) by placing a manufactured hard-
wood top on the cube.
If a different look is desired, aluminum
cubes are also an option. Designed to
withstand temperature extremes, these
low-maintenance, durable planters are
constructed of lightweight, partially recycled
aluminum. Some use an industrial strength
powder-coated finishing process that is
applied electrostatically and cured under
heat, creating a more resilient finish than
conventional paint. There are a variety of size
and color choices available.
Overall, complete, coordinated modular
deck systems as described here can be
designed and specified to create attractive,
durable, and sustainable outdoor spaces.
110 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
DURABLE, CLEANABLE EXTRUDED
ALUMINUM TRIM
Increased concern for cleanliness has become
a focus of many retail and hospitality settings
as owners and managers seek to comply with
health regulations and curtail the spread of
disease. As a result, walls and other surfaces
have been subjected to more frequent clean-
ings and sometimes with more powerful
cleaning agents. That is all good if the materi-
als on those surfaces are durable enough and
easily cleaned. This is true not only for the
basic surface material but also the trim that is
usually required along all the edges.
Considering the need for greater durabil-
ity and cleanability, as well as the need to
protect edges and base conditions from
damage, a trim material of choice is extruded
aluminum. Manufacturers offer numerous
standard and custom trim profiles that allow
architects to create cohesive details using a
product that offers greater durability and
protection of the surface materials. There is
even the ability to create details specific to a
particular hospitality or retail brand where
desired, and numerous finishes to fit the
brand as well.
Extruded Aluminum Trim for
Interior Walls
Extruded aluminum trim is being success-
fully used on drywall, millwork, acoustic
ceilings, and even composite panels. This
is good for the protection of the edges of all
those materials and makes them easier to
clean. In addition, the design options, vari-
ability, and cost-effectiveness of this trim
make it very well-suited for hospitality and
retail settings.
The trend in modern designs for retail
and hospitality settings includes minimalist
lines and the intentional absence of tradi-
tional wood moldings for doors, windows,
ceilings, and base conditions. Many interior
designs therefore lean toward a simpler, more
elegant wall solution with a clean, modern
look. Others may be focused on a more
traditional or three-dimensional appearance
for wall corners, base, and ceiling condi-
tions. Still others may select certain walls
to feature with added detailing and trim to
create a total design appearance. All these
different styles or looks are readily achievable
using manufactured trim pieces made from
aluminum extrusions.
Extruded aluminum products are
readily available and designed to be used
with 5⁄8 -inch-thick drywall to provide
continuous edge protection for commercial
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Photo courtesy of Tamlyn
Extruded aluminum trim can be used on
interior wall surfaces to provide custom
looks, durable protection, and easy-to-
clean surfaces.
use plus a ½ inch where applicable. Similarly,
aluminum trim can be used in conjunction
with wrapped surface finishes, such as fabric
or vinyl wall coverings. Such trim pieces
are available in a variety of traditional,
contemporary, and modern looks to create
subdued, elegant aesthetic or emphatic three-
dimensional appearances. Since aluminum
is highly durable, recyclable, lightweight, and
noncombustible, it is a popular and logical
choice for hospitality and retail interior trim.
Of course, the color of the trim is an
important design consideration, regardless
of the location. Fortunately, there are many
options beyond the standard mill-finish
aluminum. Extruded aluminum trim can be
specified to be finished with a paint primer
only, ready to receive final finish coats in
the field of virtually any color. Alternatively,
it can be specified as prefinished in the
factory, reducing the on-site labor needs.
The standard prefinished choices vary by
manufacturer but typically include durable
powder-coat paint, conventional wet paint
coatings, or anodized aluminum in standard
colors, such as clear, champagne, bronzes and
black. At least one manufacturer can provide
custom pattern matching on the aluminum
to include logos, match wood panels, match
stone walls, or even create a wood-grain
look. With this variety of choices, the trim
can appear to blend in with the adjacent wall
panels, or it can be used to highlight all or
some of the visual lines it creates. This flex-
ibility using familiar and long-lasting finish
options means that both the design and the
performance level can be controlled.
EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
Photo courtesy of Tamlyn
Extruded aluminum trim can be effectively
used for smooth transitions between dif-
ferent cladding panel types at inside and
outside corners, edges, and other locations.
Exterior Panel Trim
Building exteriors can benefit from the
use of extruded aluminum trim too. Many
retail and hospitality facilities use panelized
cladding or rainscreen systems. Commonly,
this cladding is incorporated from standard
size panels or lapped siding made from fiber
cement, composite material, engineered
wood, or even thin composite aluminum
panels. Designing with such materials is
straightforward, but attention needs to
be paid to the way the panels are secured
to the building and how the edges, joints,
transitions, and other details of the panels
or siding are addressed. Typically, some sort
of trim has been applied to accomplish this
using wood, composite, or plastic-based
materials. While those are effective and can
be good for some buildings, their width,
bulk, and ongoing maintenance can make
them less desirable for use and detract from
the overall facade design.
As an alternative to traditional exterior
trim, many architects are turning to the use
of thin, extruded aluminum trim systems.
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL
The use of extruded aluminum in buildings
in general is common due to the versatile
nature of the material and its durability.
When used to hold the edges of exterior
wall panels, it provides architects with a
unique means to detail corners, vertical and
horizontal joints, and material transitions.
It can be specified in common thicknesses
and profiles to suit any of the lightweight
cladding materials already mentioned.
Extruded aluminum trim can even be
provided in sizes and styles that work with
multiple panels, enabling architects to vary
the material choices within their facade
designs while still keeping details that will
have a similar language. The variety of
available extrusion profiles can create a
recessed reveal between cladding panels or
project outward to accentuate the lines of
the design. Used in any of these ways, it has
typically been shown to be less expensive
with a more elegant look of clean lines than
with other options.
Trim for Retail and
Hospitality Buildings
Places that need to achieve good interior
looks with a lot of durability, like retail
and hospitality settings, quickly see the
benefit of using extruded aluminum trim
in conjunction with prefinished wall pan-
els or site-finished gypsum board. For ex-
ample, many fast-food restaurants often go
through cycles of renovating and updating
their locations to remain appealing to cus-
tomers and competitive in the marketplace.
The current trend among many of them,
such as McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts,
Burger King, and others, is to move to a
sleeker and more modern motif, replacing
some prior looks that are more visually
cluttered and outdated in appearance. In
the process, many are using prefinished
wall panels with a selected wood grain or
color as their primary wall surface. Then
they are incorporating aluminum trim in
coordinated finishes to provide durable
corner and wall base conditions. They may
also use aluminum trim pieces to create
intentional reveals in the walls between
the panels or at interior corners. Along the
ceiling line, some incorporate an extruded
aluminum trim piece that acts as a ceiling
molding to complete the overall look and
design intent.
Hospitality settings similarly require
durability but may have a different
aesthetic in mind. In these cases, extruded
aluminum trim may be used with gypsum
board to create defining lines along a wall
surface or at the intersection of wall ele-
CONTINUING EDUCATION
ments. Reveals are particularly popular in
that regard and can be provided in a thin,
minimalistic manner to simply reinforce
vertical or horizontal lines, or to create
an artistic accent on a wall. For a bolder,
more three-dimensional profile, two-
piece assemblies are available that allow a
squared, rounded, or oblong shape to be
inserted into a reveal that protrudes past
the wall surface and creates a different
shadow line and overall look.
Bailee Hoelzer, interior specification
specialist with Tamlyn, provides some
insight into the products and their makeup.
She points out that “6063 is the ‘architec-
tural alloy’ for aluminum extrusions and
has a very smooth surface, allowing for
varied finishes, such as anodized, powder
coating, and others, that give the architect
and owners the ability to choose a finish
that fits their desired look on the proper-
ties. Further, the flexibility of this mate-
rial allows for a partnership between the
manufacturer and the designer or owner to
promptly create custom profiles or detail
as needed with only small minimum-sized
orders needed for production.”
IMPROVED HVAC SYSTEMS
All discussions of wellness in today’s
buildings usually include a focus on HVAC
systems. In fact, the AIA report identifies
one of the commonly recognized risks as
“aerosolized transmission of droplets.”
Hence, the report goes on to recommend
“recommissioning and enhancing ventila-
tion systems.” Attention to these systems
should include the ways that the building
is heated and cooled as well as how it is
ventilated. Further, the energy-use impacts
of these systems are always critical in retail
and hospitality buildings.
Variable Refrigerant Flow
(VRF) Systems
While retail and hospitality buildings can
incorporate many different types of heating
and cooling systems, considerable success
has been found in recent years by using
variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems.
VRF systems move conditioned refrigerant
directly to the zone requiring heating or
cooling, allowing the temperature of that
area to be more precisely controlled. They
can simultaneously cool some zones while
heating others or just provide conditioning
to zones that are in use.
111
 HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL
Photos courtesy of Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS)
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems move conditioned refrigerant within facilities and
can be either air based (left) or water-source heat-pump based.
VRF systems are considered a superior
heating and cooling option for building
owners who are looking for energy efficiency,
guest comfort, streamlined maintenance, and
management. From a design standpoint, they
offer discreet aesthetics, operational savings,
and sound control. All of these attributes
make energy-efficient VRF systems an ideal
HVAC option for retail, mixed-use, hotel,
lodge, and other hospitality applications.
Further, VRF systems can be designed for
small- or large-scale applications in both new
construction and retrofit/renovation projects.
VRF systems should be paired with
compatible ventilation systems to address all
health and comfort needs. While ventilation
systems are commonly installed separate
from heating and cooling systems, some
manufacturers may provide both types of
equipment, which is preferable for initial de-
sign, pricing, and installation. Using a single
manufacturer for all equipment streamlines
ongoing service and maintenance as well.
Ventilation systems need to be ducted to
move air and are designed to exhaust air
from inside the building and replace it
with fresh air from the outside. Removing
the conditioned air and replacing it with
unconditioned outside air requires energy
Photos courtesy of Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS)
VRF systems can be combined with ventilation systems and controlled for separate zones to
provide a complete, coordinated, energy-efficient HVAC system.
112 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
to ensure that the proper temperature and/
or humidity level is met. As such, with high
volumes of air brought in for conditioning, it
is critical that ventilation equipment operates
in an energy-efficient manner.
Part of the key to the energy efficiency
of VRF systems coupled with appropriate
ventilation systems is their ability to be
readily designed and installed to operate
in zones, thus providing improved comfort
control to different indoor environments.
Zones can be defined as single- or multiple-
room spaces that are conditioned to a set
temperature and operated independently
from other rooms within the same struc-
ture. This allows facility managers to con-
trol each guest room in a hotel, for example,
independently from other guest rooms. Or
it can allow retail spaces to be controlled
separately from hospitality spaces and com-
mon areas in mixed-use buildings. By using
integrated, streamlined controls, hotels and
lodges have a comprehensive HVAC solution
that promotes wellness, efficiency, and
operational savings.
Space-Saving Design Potential
The space required for mechanical equip-
ment is often a concern in many buildings.
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Compared to traditional HVAC options,
compact VRF systems are space saving and
quiet. These features allows designers to
retain room for other design features or
amenities nearby the equipment. This could
include an outdoor rooftop space where
mechanical equipment might otherwise have
been installed.
Inside the building, VRF systems utilize
small-diameter piping to move conditioned
refrigerant. This allows for smaller plenums
with a reduction of space required between
floors. As such, ceilings can be higher and
rooms can appear more spacious within
standard floor-to-floor heights. Taller spaces
may also provide opportunities to increase
window sizes for increased natural lighting.
Alternatively, architects can demonstrate
how to reduce construction costs by design-
ing shorter buildings with the same amount
of usable floor space. In some cases, smaller
plenums may allow the floor-to-floor heights
to be reduced enough that an additional
floor may be possible, thus increasing the
overall square footage or usable space.
VRF equipment throughout the building
is also compact compared to conventional
HVAC units and is distributed rather than
centralized. This reduces space require-
ments for mechanical rooms inside the
buildings, which may help to decrease the
building footprint or simply allow more
space for other building uses.
Ryan Bean is the director of development
for the Sydell Group and has direct experi-
ence in this aspect of hospitality buildings.
He notes, “Space constraints are a major
factor for us. Many of the existing city
properties we develop are built lot line to lot
line. There is no space to build a centralized
plant that has cooling towers, boilers, and
chillers. VRF is ideal for us because we
can put units on the roof that have a small
footprint.” For example, in the NoMad LA
Hotel, the use of VRF systems allowed space
for a rooftop pool, a bar, restrooms, and
a restaurant. Having revenue-producing
outlets there is an obvious benefit to hotel
developers and operators.
PROVIDING GREATER SECURITY
The recent pandemic year has been a chal-
lenging one for many, leading to people
feeling the strain of COVID-19 impacts, job
losses, and social unrest. This has left many
retail and hospitality owners and operators
asking whether a standard security design
is really enough to protect their buildings,
inventory, customers, and employees.
EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
Photo courtesy of CornellCookson
Retail security doors can be specified to provide the appropriate level of protection while
rolling up out of sight when not needed or in use.
Architects and other design professionals
commonly understand that it is important
to design retail, hospitality, and parking
facilities for life safety and loss prevention,
but in the minds of many, this has become
the number-one priority. Of course, it is
important to communicate with owners
and others that having the proper security
measures does not mean that aesthetics need
to be sacrificed. Few people find a building
to be welcoming or inviting if it appears to
be unduly fortified. Since the whole goal of
retail and hospitality buildings is to attract
guests or customers to them, it is contradic-
tory to design a building that looks like it is
trying to keep people out. Instead, designers
should focus on incorporating available
security options that are visually undetect-
able or blend seamlessly into the building or
its surroundings when the building is open
and operating. When needed or after hours,
a security system can be deployed that closes
off the access to the establishment to provide
the needed degree of safety and separation.
In light of the above, we consider three
specific strategies that are useful in retail and
hospitality settings.
Retail Security Doors
Retail store owners are looking for ways to
secure their businesses and strengthen protec-
tion for buildings and employees. Roll-up steel
doors that have always been available to cover
windows, glass doors, and other fenestration
are a logical choice. However, some of these
products are either meant for only standard-
level protection or offer too many extra
features that may not be needed or affordable.
Manufacturers have responded by offering
new product choices that provide the sweet
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL
spot of a heavy-duty rolling door without
going to the unnecessary extreme.
When specifying roll-up steel doors
for protecting retail stores, some of the
features to review and consider include the
following:
• Certifications: If doors are specifically
designed for security in retail applica-
tions, they should be tested for specific
performance characteristics. In the case
of one manufacturer, a 14-foot x 10-foot
door required more than 4,500 pounds
of effort to lift the door 3 inches up-
ward. Similarly, the door withstood up
to 2,500 pounds of push effort without
the curtain leaving the guides. If even
further enhanced protection is desired,
some roll-up doors are also certified
by third-party agencies to perform to
the Department of State standards for
forced entry.
• Hood: The hood enclosure that contains
the rolled-up door should be galvanized
steel and can be ordered in a color to
match the curtain or the building.
High-performance roll-up grilles can be used for parking garage entrances and other
locations to help keep control of vehicular and pedestrian exit and entry.
• Curtain: An appropriately heavy-duty
curtain is at least 18-gauge galvanized
CONTINUING EDUCATION
steel with interlocking roll-formed slats.
It is also desirable to have continuous end
locks riveted to the ends of the slats. It can
also be specified to come with a screw kit
that allows the top slats to be attached to
the barrel to prevent lifting attempts.
• Guides: The side guides for the curtain
should be structural steel, specifically
angle assemblies that bolt to the wall and
support the weight of the door.
• Brackets: The side brackets should also be
made from steel and bolted to the guide
assembly to stabilize the counterbalance
shaft and the curtain.
• Bottom bar: Heavy-duty bottom bars up
to 6 inches tall can secure the bottom of
the curtain and resist damage.
• Operation: Some manufacturers will
provide a standard motor operation that
can be upgraded to allow for automated
operation, plus a hand chain and battery
backup in the case of a power outage.
• Locking: Consider locking that is tamper
proof and more heavy duty with slide
bolts thrown via a thumb turn versus
standard cylinder locking.
• Specialized end locks: Continuous cast
end locks should be used to keep the cur-
tain in the guides during violent impacts
or crowd pressures.
• Fasteners: Only tamper-resistant fasten-
ers should be used.
All these features together allow the door
to withstand moderate risk with three or
more attackers and a few hand tools. Doors
like these are extremely versatile, making
them well-suited for any storefront or back-
of-house application. They are available as a
standard service metal door or an insulated
door. They can typically be installed on inte-
rior or exterior openings and are available in
a range of standard finishes and colors.
Photos courtesy of CornellCookson
113
 HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL
High-Performance Roll-Up Grilles
Hospitality and retail facilities increasingly
CONTINUING EDUCATION
include parking areas, such as garages or
underground parking levels. The entrances to
that parking can be a security issue or other
problem if not controlled. Hence, the use of
roll-up metal grilles has become a means to
address these concerns with some of the fol-
lowing characteristics:
• Cleanliness: Parking garage doors limit
access by uninvited guests, preventing un-
necessary foot traffic and tailgaters.
• Security: Sealing a parking garage with a
durable closure deters criminal activity,
thus increasing safety and security.
• Comfort level: When visitors park in the
garage, having a closure in place helps
reassure their sense of safety.
Custom security grilles are manufactured
to fit both new buildings and existing
structures. In particular, grille patterns can
be designed to be smaller in size and roll up
into a more compact area to fit into lower
overhead spaces. This is specifically useful
for parking garages and other low-clearance
openings where the space above an entrance
may be limited due to mechanical, electrical,
and plumbing systems (MEP). These durable
closures achieve a compact size with smaller
vertical links and horizontal coils without
sacrificing security. This results in nearly 50
percent more space when coiled, allowing
more room for ADA vans and taller vehicles.
At least one manufacturer provides a very
quiet operation, makes them available in
straight or brick patterns, and offers several
finishes, including stainless steel, aluminum
mill, and clear anodized. In addition to being
compact, high-performance security grilles
like this are engineered and tested to operate
smoothly for 500,000 open/close cycles at
speeds of up to 24 inches per second.
High-performance compact parking
grilles can be readily paired with a separate
control panel so programming and setting
limits for a parking entrance is simple. Safety
is addressed with light curtains plus photo
eyes to prevent potential harm or injury
from the parking security grille. It is also
possible to specify a direct drive operator
that eliminates sprockets and chains, lessen-
ing wear and tear and frequent replacements.
Further, perimeter parts can be customized,
allowing a grille to be manufactured to exact
specifications.
114 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
Electronic automatic locks can be incorporated into the guides of select high-performance
grilles to provide additional security and safety.
From an appearance standpoint, note
that both high-performance grilles and retail
security roll-up doors can be installed with the
guides buried into the structure, providing a
seamless look within the building. This allows
for a more aesthetically pleasing look when the
closure is opened or closed. In this manner,
it is nearly undetectable when in the open posi-
tion, yet it can be deployed to close at any time.
Electronic Automatic Locking
In some cases, there is a concern for grilles to
be locked and secured automatically without
needing an employee to physically access the
grille. For these situations, an electronic lock
can provide automatic locking protection,
which is a particularly unique feature in high-
performance grille products. Such locks are
seamlessly mounted to the guides so they au-
tomatically engage the cylinder lock each time
the grille closes. This arrangement provides
additional lift resistance without compromis-
ing aesthetics, headroom, or performance.
Electronic automatic locking is available
on some high-performance grilles. The locks
can be a standard or tapering locking option,
both with less than a 1-inch projection past the
guide. If electrical power is lost or compro-
mised, these locks will stay locked when the
grille is in the closed position. Whenever
needed, they can also be overridden with a key.
Heather Bender is the strategic market-
ing manager with CornellCookson and
has observed the lift-resistance testing on
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Photos courtesy of CornellCookson
high-performance grilles with electronic locks.
She notes, “The locks were able to withstand
up to 1,200 pounds of force on grilles with
aluminum guides and up to 940 pounds of
force on stainless steel guides without the
bottom bar lifting over the lock.” This degree
of performance offers considerable safety and
security for the buildings where they are used.
CONCLUSION
Hospitality and retail buildings have been
the focus of a lot of design and planning
efforts to make them safer and healthier
both during and after the recent pandemic.
Outdoor spaces have become more prized
and made possible with modular, pedestal
deck systems. HVAC systems have been
upgraded using VRF technology coupled
with high-performance ventilation. Durable,
cleanable surfaces have become the norm
for interior and exterior surfaces and trim.
Security has been enhanced using updated
designs for overhead doors and grilles.
Altogether, these and other design strategies
are helping architects to meet the challenges
of a post-pandemic world.
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP,
is a nationally known architect, consultant, con-
tinuing education presenter, and prolific author
advancing better building performance by design.
www.pjaarch.com, www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch
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design process is critical.
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The Top 10 Ways to Reduce CONTINUING EDUCATION

Concrete's Carbon Footprint 1 AIA LU/HSW

Learning Objectives
After viewing this multimedia
Sponsored by Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed presentation, you should be able to:
Concrete Association 1. Explain the basics of the embodied
carbon of concrete.

D
esign and construction teams
can implement 10 simple strate-
gies in order to reduce concrete’s
carbon footprint. The strategies are meant
to achieve a lower carbon footprint without
impacting the other traditional perfor-
mance criteria for concrete.
Concrete is unique among building
materials. Its formulation is highly inf lu-
enced by its application. Design profes-
sionals and contractors have a greater
inf luence on concrete formulation than
they do with other building products.
Concrete can be made stronger, lighter,
more f lowable, stiffer, less permeable, and
even weaker depending on the perfor-
mance needs. All of these formulations
can be made at the same factory within
minutes of one another. No other build-
ing material is that versatile.
Concrete does not rot, rust, or burn. It
can be exposed to the elements or for archi-
tectural reasons. Concrete is economical,
available nearly everywhere, and made from
the most abundant materials on the planet,
usually from local sources. This course pro-
vides the top 10 ways to get all the benefits
of concrete at a lower carbon footprint.
2. Evaluate the immediate steps that
can be taken to reduce the carbon
footprint when specifying concrete.
3. Prioritize design strategies to get
the greatest reductions in carbon
footprint using current technologies
and design tools.
4. Explore how innovative technologies
will result in zero carbon concrete in
the future.
To receive AIA credit, you are required to
view the multimedia presentation and pass
the quiz. Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com
to take the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2105Q

Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, educates the building and design
communities and policymakers on the benefits of ready-mixed concrete and encourages its use as the building material
of choice. No other building material can replicate concrete’s advantages in terms of strength, durability, safety, and
ease of use. www.buildwithstrength.com

116 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2

 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Photo courtesy of Marvin
Residential glass doors are used in many
different designs to create vibrant, open,
healthy housing options.

Beyond Function: Designing CONTINUING EDUCATION

with Exterior Glass Doors 1 AIA LU/HSW

Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should

to Improve Well-Being be able to:

1. Identify some of the current trends
influencing the use of swinging and
sliding glass doors in single family
Current products offer exciting choices in design, style, residential design.
and performance 2. Investigate the design options and
innovative opportunities to create
residences that allow for flexibility,
Sponsored by Marvin openness, and wellness.

F
enestration in single family residences
can come in different forms. Instead of
relying only on windows, a common
alternative is the use of different types of
exterior doors that are predominantly made
from glass in frames (i.e., side stiles, top and
bottom rails) instead of solid, opaque mate-
rial. The appeal of such glass doors, as we will
refer to them in this course, comes from their
ability to provide daylight, views, and general
connectivity between indoors and outdoors.
Furthermore, with different options available
for sizes and materials, they can be readily
incorporated into a wide range of architectur-
al design aesthetics. To be successful, however,
they need to perform as intended for thermal
characteristics and air sealing as well as for
security and weatherability.
Continues at ce.architecturalrecord.com
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP
is a nationally known architect and a prolific
author advancing sustainable residences
through better design. www.pjaarch.com
www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch
3. Recognize the aspects of manufactured
swinging and sliding glass doors that
influence their performance and how to
select options to suit performance needs.
4. Assess the functional contributions of
large swinging and sliding glass doors
as they contribute to healthy living and
wellness.
To receive AIA credit, you are required to
read the entire article and pass the test.
Go to ce.architecturalrecord.com for the
complete text and to take the test for free.
AIA COURSE #K2201G

Marvin is a fourth-generation family-owned and led business, headquartered in Warroad, Minnesota, with more than 7,000
employees across 16 cities in North America. The Marvin portfolio of products for builders, architects and homeowners is
designed to provide exceptional solutions for any project with a focus on creating better ways of living. Marvin products are
distributed nationally through a network of independent dealers. Visit Marvin.com to learn more.

117
CONTINUING EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
The metal composite cladding on the
BNW Pavilion, located adjacent to the
Emily Carr University of Art + Design in
Vancouver, helped the structure meet
updated fire propagation test protocols.
Cladding Safety with Metal
Composite Material (MCM)
and the NFPA 285-19
Faced with an updated test protocol for fire propagation,
metal composite material cladding is passing the test
Sponsored by Metal Construction Association's Metal Composite Material
(MCM) Alliance
T
he demand for high-performance,
durable, aesthetically pleasing, and
energy-efficient buildings has led to
building envelope designs that incorporate
combustible materials such as cladding,
insulation, and weather-resistant barriers.
Charged with protecting the public
health and safety of building occupants and
providing safeguards from hazards associated
with the built environment, the International
Building Code (IBC) mandates all build-
ing systems and materials meet prescribed
requirements and undergo relevant testing.
The IBC outlines the minimum requirements
to protect the public health and safety of
building occupants, while avoiding both un-
necessary costs and preferential treatment of
118 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
specific materials or methods of construction.
A large portion of the code deals with fire
prevention and mitigating fire risk.
For wall assemblies in particular, systems
containing combustible materials must be
tested and demonstrate a certain level of
resistance to fire spreading. An intermediate-
scale fire test, National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) 285 is the Standard Fire
Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation
Characteristics of Exterior Non-Load-Bearing
Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible
Components. NFPA 285 is a code-required
standard and a key component of exterior
wall design testing.
In order to help eliminate some of the
complexity and confusion surrounding
Photo courtesy of Robert Stefanowicz Photography/3A Composites
CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW
Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should be
able to:
1. Differentiate between metal
composite materials made with a
flame-retardant (FR) core and MCMs
with a standard core (typically
polyethylene (PE)), and how the two
products respond to fire.
2. Review the history and details of the
NFPA 285 test for flame propagation
in wall assemblies, and the new
sample construction requirements
added to the 2019 version.
3. Evaluate the circumstances under
which an exterior wall assembly is
subjected to the NFPA 285 testing
requirement.
4. Compare different kinds of weather-
resistive barriers and insulation, and
how they impact the full assemblies’
ability to pass the NFPA 285 test.
5. See how Engineering Judgements can
be an acceptable alternative to NFPA
285 testing.
To receive AIA credit, you are required to
read the entire article and pass the quiz.
Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com for the
complete text and to take the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2201K2

Images courtesy of the Metal Construction Association
The flame-retardant core in a metal composite material panel incorporates alumina tri-
hyrdrate or magnesium oxide, which breaks down when exposed to extreme heat. This
releases water vapor and helps suppress the fire.
these designs, in addition to knowing when
an NFPA 285 test is required, it is helpful for
architects and specifiers to better understand
the impact of material choices in the metal
composite material (MCM) wall assembly.
For starters, the IBC does not define non-
combustible or combustible. This terminology
is defined by the NFPA in the Life Safety Code as
follows: noncombustible is a material that can-
not ignite or burn, cannot support combustion,
and cannot release flammable vapors. Examples
include brick, stone, steel, and mineral wool.
All other materials are considered combustible.
Product examples include phenolic panels,
HPL, MCM , foam plastic insulation, and
fiberglass insulation, and are tested per the
American Society for Testing and Materials
ASTM E136 standard test method.
It’s important to understand that many
common products—e.g., desks, blinds, wood,
plastic, most furniture, and flooring are
combustible—but not all combustible items
have the same burning characteristics.
For example, when evaluating the
combustible characteristics of MCM, it’s im-
portant to differentiate between the different
types of materials sandwiched in between the
The Metal Construction Association’s Metal Composite Material (MCM) Alliance comprises leading manufacturers, resellers,
and suppliers who are dedicated to growing the use of MCMs. www.metalconstruction.org
metal. The main options are a fire-retardant
(FR) core and “standard” polyethylene (PE),
which is a thermoplastic product.
The FR core utilizes the addition of
minerals, such as alumina trihyrdrate or
magnesium oxide, that effectively break
down when subjected to extreme heat. This
releases water vapor, helps suppress the fire,
and causes the material to self-extinguish
once the flame source is removed.
On the contrary, PE’s solid plastic core
serves as a continuous fuel source enabling
flames to spread vertically up the wall
assembly. Standard core MCM (PE) does
not pass NFPA requirements and has been
identified as a significant source in multiple
building fires.
HIGH-RISE FIRE EVENTS
In 2017, the tragic London Grenfell Tower fire
ultimately took the lives of 72 people, with
more than 70 others injured. Exacerbated by
the absence of sprinkler systems and fire egress
routes, what started as a malfunctioning fridge-
freezer on the building’s fourth floor was fueled
by plastic insulation and aluminum composite
rainscreen cladding with a PE core. Unbroken
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CONTINUING EDUCATION
In the London Grenfell Tower fire, the fire
spread approximately 200 feet within 30
minutes. To pass the NFPA 285 test, a fire
cannot spread more than 10 feet from the
window opening within the same period of
time.
air space in the building enclosure resulted in
the chimney effect accelerating flame spread.
To make matters worse, residents had propped
open the stairwells, further accelerating flame
spread.
As related by Daniel A. Martin,
P.E., CFEI, CVFI, a fire protection
engineer with Jensen Hughes, in a recent
METALCONLive! webinar entitled
“Cladding Safety in Light of Global Fires,”
construction details that contributed to
the Grenfell fire included multiple types
of exterior insulation such as polyiso and
phenolic, MCM sheets with a PE core
containing no FR additives, cavity barriers
not in place or continuous around window
openings where required by code, and
exterior wall geometrics creating large air
gaps behind the MCM panels.
This tragic perfect storm enabled the
fire to spread significantly in a short
period of time. According to the NFPA
285, an acceptable wall assembly requires
the fire to spread less than 10 feet from the
window opening within 30 minutes.
Becauses MCMs with a PE core are
unable to pass the NFPA 285 test, this had
effectively banned their use in the U.S. for
high-rise construction, or on panel installa-
tions higher than 40 feet.
Continues at ce.architecturalrecord.com
119
CONTINUING EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
Photo courtesy of Watts
Snow-melting systems provide a
low-maintenance solution to create
safe walkways and entrances that
help with risk management for all
types of buildings and facilities.
Optimizing Snow-
Melting Systems
Specifying system types, components, and controls to meet
project-specific performance
Sponsored by Watts | By Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
P
roviding safe pedestrian or vehicular
access in cold weather to a building
entrance, walkway, or critical opera-
tion area means minimizing or eliminating
the presence of snow and ice in those areas.
In some facilities, this is done manually by
maintenance staff who clear snow, spread
ice-melt chemicals, and work to maintain
clear and safe passage. The expense, impact
of chemicals, and difficulty in creating a con-
sistently safe condition pushes many building
owners and operators to look for other
solutions. As such, mechanical or electrical
snow-melting systems are often designed
and constructed to be placed below concrete,
asphalt, or other paved areas to help ensure
120 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
that pedestrians, and vehicles are protected
from the hazards of snow and ice accumula-
tion. This course looks at the ways that design
professionals can investigate, design, and
optimize a snow-melting system suited to the
specific requirements of a particular project.
This approach helps ensure control of the
initial and ongoing costs as well the proper,
long-term performance of these systems
that create safe, clear passage in what could
otherwise be a hazardous condition.
SNOW-MELTING SYSTEMS OVERVIEW
The basic function of a snow-melting system
is to warm an outdoor surface to a tempera-
ture above freezing, allowing snow and ice
CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 AIA LU/HSW
Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should
be able to:
1. Identify the primary characteristics of
snow-melting systems, including the
ways that they help protect building
users, owners, and the public.
2. Assess the design and performance
considerations of both the buildings
and their surroundings on successful
snow-melting systems.
3. Recognize the primary parameters
for the design of functional hydronic
and electric snow-melting systems.
4. Investigate the range of options
that are available for the control of
snow-melting systems that help
ensure the safety and well-being of
people using the building or facility.
To receive AIA credit, you are required to
read the entire article and pass the quiz.
Visit ce.architecturalrecord.com for the
complete text and to take the quiz for free.
AIA COURSE #K2105D
 EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT

to melt and drain away safely. That surface Environmental Impacts System Costs
might be a walkway into or out of a building Many people are concerned about the The discussion of any building system cost

CONTINUING EDUCATION
that sees many people walking there daily, environmental impacts associated with any should always include a review of not only
such as a retail, hospitality, health-care, building system. These concerns are fully first costs but also ongoing operating costs
educational, governmental, or other type justified, although snow-melting systems and the residual costs of an alternative. Of-
of building. Keeping such walkways clear have been shown to be part of the solution, ten, building owners, especially residential
of snow and ice reduces the likelihood that not part of the problem. The truth is that ones, only take into consideration the initial
someone walking there will slip, fall, and they are one of the eco-friendlier options cost of the system. In doing so, they fail to
become injured. The surface might also serve available since they can reduce or eliminate see the intrinsic benefits of a system that
vehicles, not just pedestrians. These vehicles use of salt or chemicals being introduced can prove to be much less costly over the
could be large, such as cars, trucks, or buses, into the environment. Snow-melting chemi- life of the building. The cost of installation
or small, such as forklifts, dollies, or robotic cals are commonly used by maintenance can be allowed for in the project budget and
carts. They could also be specialty areas, staff, but they too melt and run into drains may in fact be a very small percentage of the
such as a heliport on a building, an emer- and sewers, where they can do damage to total project cost. Similarly, the operating
gency room entrance, or a critical operations vegetation and aquatic life. Snow-melting cost of a snow-melting system can be man-
facility. Regardless of the type of traffic, the chemicals are also well-known for the dam- aged and accounted for so that it becomes
goal is usually the same: keep the area clear age they can cause to concrete and other an anticipated and controlled expense. All
and safe for usage when snow and ice would paved surfaces, causing shorter service lives of these costs, although they may seem
be otherwise present. and the need for replacement. This replace- expensive at first blush, can be significantly
ment then adds more environmental burden outweighed by the benefits of less labor, less
System Need compared to a longer-lasting solution for maintenance, less chemicals, less risk of
Snow-melting systems are sometimes viewed concrete and other paved surfaces. liability, and less potential damage to build-
as a luxury item or as an extravagance. This By using heat in selected locations in a ing surfaces. By doing this type of review,
would only be true if safety is not a concern snow-melting system, the need for chemi- some building owners ultimately conclude
or if there is no cost to maintain and clear cals is eliminated, thus eliminating their that they cannot afford the alternatives
areas of snow and ice. The reality is that impact on the environment and the build- after all—it makes better economic sense to
all buildings need to protect the safety and ings. Also eliminated are the labor and time include a snow-melting system.
welfare of the people using them, and there needed to spread these chemicals. The heat
is always a cost of labor and/or materials to aspect of a snow-melting system is also very System Types
keep a building safely maintained. The risks manageable based on proper efficiencies There are two basic types of snow-melting
and costs are higher, of course, in geographic and controls, just like any other mechanical systems available: electrical systems and
locations where snow is more common or system. Designed, installed, and operated hydronic systems. Electrical systems use elec-
frequent, or where the number of people properly, snow-melting systems can be tric current run through specially designed
or vehicles is high. Hence, snow-melting very energy efficient, so the energy use and heat-generating resistance wires to create the
systems should be appropriately looked at cost impacts can be properly accounted for needed heat for the snow-melting function.
and evaluated for each project as an option and controlled. If the energy comes from Hydronic systems use a water-glycol fluid
that meets the needs of building owners and a renewable, non-polluting source (i.e., circulated through tubing (piping) and boil-
regulatory agencies for safety and mainte- solar electric, hydroelectric, wind, etc.), the ers to generate heat. Many aspects of these
nance in climates that receive snow or ice environmental impact of the energy used is two systems are similar in terms of the prin-
storms. drastically diminished. ciples behind their design, installation, and
operation—it is just some of the components
and system parts that are different.
The type of system selected for a particu-
REASONS TO INCORPORATE A SNOW-MELTING SYSTEM lar project will often be predicated on the
size of the area to be heated. An installation
While different buildings and owners may have different motivations, there are a less than 1,500 square feet usually means
number of common reasons that the decision is wisely made to include a snow-melting that electrical is more economical since a
system in a project including: boiler is not required. For example, most
• Reduction in salt or chemical use, thus reducing damage to the environment, residential systems are smaller and tend to
including aquatic life. use an electric rather than hydronic system.
• Reduction in accidents due to personal injury from slips, falls, and manual snow Nonetheless, any size system where a boiler
shoveling. or hydronic system is not desired or practical
• Reduction in liability and insurance claims from accidents and injuries to building will tend to be electric.
occupants, users, and staff. Larger installations often benefit from
• Reduction in damage to architectural concrete and paving surfaces, such as paving hydronic systems. This is particularly true
bricks or stones, curbs, etc., thus improving longevity of those surfaces. if they can be linked to an existing boiler
• Improved safety on critical areas, such as inclined parking ramps, loading docks, and can gain some overall boiler efficien-
outdoor stairs, rotating equipment (gondolas), emergency care areas, and helipads. cies. However, there are many cases where
it makes more sense to use an appropriately

121
 OPTIMIZING SNOW-MELTING SYSTEMS
Images courtesy of Watts
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Hydronic snow-melting systems (left) and
electrical systems (right) work on the same
principles, just with different components
and design implications.
sized dedicated boiler. Since each building
is unique, a review of the applicability of
both system types (hydronic versus electric)
may be warranted to discern which is the
best choice for a particular project. This
review should include the practical aspects of
installation, costs, benefits, and differences
between the two systems.
Regardless of the type selected, all snow-
melting systems operate using automatic
and manual controls. These controls are
essentially the same from the standpoint
of the user whether electric or hydronic
systems are used. There will be some differ-
ence in what is being controlled of course
(electric current or hydronic fluids), but the
overall concepts and principles are straight-
forward and well known.
BASIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
Before designing a snow-melting system,
there are several site- and building-specific
conditions that need to be addressed. There is
Photos courtesy of Watts
Every project must be assessed to determine the owner's needs, particular site conditions, and performance expectations of a system.
122 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
also the need to establish proper expectations
and quality assurance standards for a system
ahead of time. These considerations are re-
viewed further in the following paragraphs.
Site Conditions
The building site and the specific outdoor ar-
eas targeted for a snow-melting system need
to be fully assessed to design and install an
effective solution. Such an assessment should
consider the following:
• Surfaces to be treated: The use of the
surface(s) intended for snow-melting
should be understood first. Is it a critical
use area in constant use or an occasional
use area only at certain times of day or
the week? Similarly, is there anything
about the material used or the surface
treatment that needs to be taken into
account? For example, is the surface go-
ing to be smooth concrete, brick pavers,
asphalt, or some other material? A basic
understanding of the design intent and
material of the surfaces will help inform
the different aspects of a site assessment.
• Surrounding area: The surfaces do not
exist independently from their surround-
ings. Rather, buildings and other features
around the snow-melting area can have
impacts on the snow-melting surface in
different ways. Direct solar visibility onto
the snow-melting surface could cause
melting independently from the system
during daylight hours. Conversely, a
shaded area may never receive any solar
benefit and need to rely entirely on the
snow-melting system. By the same token,
areas that are prone to wind are different
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from areas that are protected. Wind can
cause drifting and accumulation of snow
onto a surface, requiring more attention
than those that are protected.
It is important to recognize that a
single building can have several differ-
ent conditions in different specific areas.
One walkway may be shielded by adjacent
buildings and another may be exposed, for
example. A driveway may get 24-hour use
but a walkway may not. In cases like these,
different conditions need to be accounted
for—one snow-melting system approach
will not likely be appropriate for all of
them. The usual implication is to antici-
pate the need for different operations and
create different snow-melting zones. This
way, each different area can be controlled
separately to respond to the different con-
ditions and snow-melting needs.
• Drainage: When a snow-melting system
is working properly, it will turn snow or
ice into water, which then needs to drain
harmlessly away. Where that water drains
to needs to be designed into the project and
will be different for each one. In some cases,
this drainage could be along the sides of the
snow-melting area in troughs, swales, or
gutters. In others, it could be picked up by
trench drains and channeled into an under-
ground drainage system. Other drainage
options are also certainly possible.
It is important to keep in mind that
areas along the side of melted areas are
usually covered by snow and ice, which
may interfere with drainage there, caus-
ing all the melted water to move in one
direction along the pitch of the melt area.
EDUCATIONAL-ADVERTISEMENT
Note that draining melt water commonly
moves faster than a typical rainfall. This
means drainage rate and flow needs to
be addressed so that one safety concern
(snow and ice) is not replaced with
another one (excessive drain water). It is
also important to recognize the need for
water to drain away after the system is
turned off so ice does not form from the
meltwater. This may imply a zone that
keeps the drainage area warmed during
and after the operation of the snow-
melting system. Finally, never drain a
system to a street or public thoroughfare
since it will then freeze and build up
there, causing other problems. All these
drainage conditions need to be assessed
and accounted for to create a successful
snow-melting condition.
Available Heat Sources
Different buildings and sites may have dif-
ferent options in terms of the heat source
for a system. In some cases, electric may
be the only practical option if natural gas,
propane, or other fuels are not available. In
these cases, the system will likely connect to
the building’s electrical system. The source
of electricity could be the local electrical
utility, a local renewable energy system, or
a cogeneration system if that is used. The
available source should be considered for
capacity and economy.
Hydronic heat sources can similarly vary
based on the building conditions. An exist-
ing water or steam-based boiler may have
the capacity to handle the snow-melting
needs. If not, one or more stand-alone boil-
ers may be appropriate. It will be important
to know the type of fuel that is available
to power these boilers either way and plan
accordingly. Alternatively, energy-recovery
or energy-capture systems can be used as
a heat source. This is common in locations
where there is a large refrigeration load
(e.g., supermarkets, food storage, etc.). In
these cases, the extracted heat is captured
and channeled into useful energy for the
building systems.
Regardless of the heat source, in all cases,
the critical factors for the success of a snow-
melting system are the British thermal units
(BTUs) of heat provided, the temperature of
Watts is a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative water solutions for residential, commercial, and institu-
tional environments. Products include an extensive line of flow-control, filtration, and treatment products for water quality and
residential plumbing and heating. Founded in 1874, Watts is headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts. www.watts.com
The edges of a snow-melting system need to be taken into account, particularly in terms of
how the melt water will drain safely away from a treated area.
the snow-melting surface and the system, and
the flow of heated fluids (GPM). Therefore,
identifying the available options to assure these
factors are achieved is clearly important.
Performance Expectations
When planning a snow-melting system, it is
always helpful to have everyone on the same
page in terms of expectations about how the
system will perform. Ideally, this means a
conversation with not only the building owner
but also the facilities manager or maintenance
staff who will be using that system is warrant-
ed. The objective is to overcome some misper-
ceptions about how a system works and dispel
any notion that it is an “instant” solution.
Some of the key performance expectations that
need to be understood include the following:
• Response time: Most systems need
between 30 minutes and 1 hour before
results are visible on the surface. Immedi-
ate melting should not be expected.
• Slab and paving warming: The time
required before melting occurs depends
on the outdoor air temperature and the
corresponding temperature of the slab
or pavement. Before the snow can melt,
the system needs to overcome the slab
temperature first. As would be expected,
the colder the slab is, the longer it will take
to get it up above freezing temperatures.
• Full melting: It will likely take 4–6 hours
to melt snow completely in most situa-
tions. This will vary, of course, based on
the amount of snow present, the tempera-
ture, and the weather conditions.
OPTIMIZING SNOW-MELTING SYSTEMS
Photo courtesy of Watts
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Most controllers are set to run for 4 hours
and can be adjusted as needed.
• Troubleshooting: It is very rare that a
system does not work at all. It is more
common that design assumptions vary
from reality. The system could be designed
for a different amount of snowfall than oc-
curs, the density of the snow can vary, etc.
There may also be unintended variances
between design and installation, such as
tubing depth variations or material thick-
ness changes, which result in different
supply temperatures being delivered than
planned. These variances can be avoided
through careful adherence to the design
and specifications of a system and imple-
mentation of quality-control measures
during installation.
Quality-Control Standards
There are a number of industry standards that
apply to snow-melting systems that address
both quality control and regulatory compli-
ance. Some of these include:
• FCC: Federal Communications Commis-
sion for control systems that use wireless
message delivery.
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP,
is a nationally known architect, continuing
education presenter, and prolific author
advancing high-performance buildings
through better design. www.pjaarch.com,
www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch
123
 DATES & Events
Upcoming Exhibitions
Nature x Humanity: Oxman Architects
San Francisco
February 19–May 15, 2022
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
will present a collection of Oxman Architects’
work since 2010, a collection of 40 artworks
and installations in which Neri Oxman and
her team question the role of the architect in
the age of climate change. The collection
explores the sustainability of architectural
practices through what Oxman terms “mate-
rial ecology,” an interdisciplinary approach
that melds organic design, digital fabrication,
and materials science. See sfmoma.org.
Ongoing Exhibitions
The Fabricated Landscape
Pittsburgh
Through January 17, 2022
The Carnegie Museum of Art, at its Heinz
Architectural Center, spotlights 10 innovative
124 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2
contemporary practices from around the
world to examine the role architecture and
design play in our daily lives. Designed by
IN-FO.CO in L.A. and curated by Raymund
Ryan, Fabricated Landscape showcases work
by Assemble, Frida Escobedo, Go Hasegawa,
Anna Heringer, Anne Holtrop, LCLA,
MAIO, OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van
Severen, SO – IL, and UMWELT. Each of
the practices—many of which are female-led,
and many based in Central or South Amer-
ica—showcases three projects that combine
traditional crafts with digital technology to
create sustainable solutions. See cmoa.org.
Light Lines: The Architectural
Photographs of Hélène Binet
London
Through January 23, 2022
The display of approximately 90 of Binet’s
images, which have captured over 20 projects
by 12 architects (including Le Corbusier,
Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Jørn Utzon,
and Peter Zumthor), is housed in the Jillian
and Arthur M. Sackler Wing of Galleries
of the Royal Academy of Arts’ Burlington
House. Engaging with themes of light, shape,
and form, the exhibit highlights 30 years of
work by the Swiss-French photographer. See
royalacademy.org.uk.
Non-Extractive Architecture: On
Designing Without Depletion
Venice, Italy
Through January 31, 2022
Curated by architect Joseph Grima and archi-
tecture and research studio Space Caviar, this
year-long exhibition and research platform,
presented by Venice-based cultural founda-
tion V-A-C, strives toward an architectural
practice that rebalances the dynamic between
humans and the environment. Space Caviar
and Grima’s “active laboratory” is ongoing at
the Palazzo delle Zattere, headquarters of the
Venice-based cultural foundation, and pre-
sents active research by 10 selected interna-
tional residents—architects, designers, econo-
mists, and theorists who are questioning and
reexamining the role of architecture in broad-
er social and environmental spheres. Accom-
panying the exhibition is a public program of
 DATES & Events

research residencies, workshops, and lectures.

See v-a-c.org.
Here We Are: Women in Design, 1900–
Today
Weil am Rhein, Germany
Through March 6, 2022
In this large-scale exhibit, the Vitra Design
Museum recognizes the contributions of
women in design over the past 120 years.
Works by Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand,
and Florence Knoll are featured among 80-
plus women who shaped this history amid the
struggle for equal rights and recognition. The
exhibit also includes work by contemporary
designers such as Matali Crasset, Patricia
Urquiola, Julia Lohmann. For more, see
design-museum.de.
Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century
Modern Life
Dallas
Through April 23, 2022
The Nasher Sculpture Center has announced
the first U.S. museum retrospective of the
Italian-born American artist’s interdisciplin-
ary practice. Trained at the Cranbrook
Academy of Art, Harry Bertoia (1915–78)
created iconic jewelry, chairs, and sculptures
that include large-scale commissions for
prominent buildings. The exhibition will
examine over 100 pieces of the artist’s works
in various materials and forms, including
works on paper and “sounding” sculpture
from Bertoia’s Sonambient Barn. For more,
see nashersculpturecenter.org.
Events
Build—From High to Lowtech
Porto, Portugal
February 3–5, 2022
The international conference, hosted by
Portugal-based Hinterland Architecture
Studio, will focus on promoting new ap-
proaches to design and construction that
reduce environmental impacts of the built
environment. The event is open to the public
and will be streamed online via their website.
See buildporto.com.
Competitions
Red Dot Award: Product Design
Deadline: February 11, 2022
Designers, offices, and manufacturers can
enter products in one of roughly 50 categories,
from kitchen appliances and electronics to
medical technology and vehicles, for assess-
ment by an international jury of some 50
jurors from 15 countries. Begun in the 1950s,
the competition has offered designers the
opportunity to receive the international vis-
ibility bestowed by the Red Dot achievement
awards. Awards include Red Dot: Best of the
Best; Red Dot: Design Team of the Year; and
Red Dot: Personality Prize, among others.
Regular registration runs until January 21,
2022. Late registration goes from January 21
until February 2022. For more information,
see red-dot.org.
E-mail information two months in advance to
areditor@bnpmedia.com.

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Want to be part of the 2022 Advertising All ads will be automatically entered, carefully
Excellence Awards competition? reviewed and judged by a blue ribbon panel of
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Advertise in the 2022 March or April print editions Join us virtually in 2022 for a panel discussion
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ARCAT 36 Hormann High Performance Doors 6 Skyscraper Museum, The 124

Architectural Record - Academy of Huntco Supply 16 Velux America 2, 3

Digital Learning Benjamin Moore 106

Invisible Structures, INC 14 Vitro Architectural Glass

Architectural Record - Academy of (Formerly known as PPG Glass) 21

Digital Learning Graphisoft 99 Joto-Vent System USA, Inc. CVR3

VS America CVR4

Architectural Record - AEA Advertising Koala Kare 30

Excellence Awards 126 Watts 120-123

Lorin 4
Architectural Record - Arch Record Bookstore 50 Wooster Products 18

Marvin 117
Architectural Record - Design:ED Podcast 61

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Architectural Record - Education Exchange 63

Metal Construction Association 118, 119

Architectural Record - eNews 29

modular Arts 37
Architectural Record - January Webinars 64

Moz Designs 33
Architectural Record - Record Houses 49

Musson Rubber Company 125

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. CVR2, 1, 8

National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association 11

AS Hanging Systems 19

Neolith 38
ASI Group 23

Belden Brick Company, The 13 New Millennium 5

Cosentino 17 NRMCA 116

Goldbrecht 24 Petersen Aluminum 34

Publisher is not responsible for errors and omissions in advertiser index. R Regional Insert

127
 SNAPSHOT

PHOTOGRAPHY: © IVO TAVARES STUDIO

A GLASS and metal-lattice canopy shades Rui Mendes Ribeiro’s

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128 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD J A N UA R Y 2 0 2 2

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