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Education Facilities
Natural light and education facilities go hand-in-hand. Numerous studies have shown the benefit that access to daylight can have on student attentiveness and performance, teacher and staff wellbeing, and energy savings.
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Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School
An Education Facility Inspired by the Landscape
A mixed glazed system of FRP and glass allows for a combination of ventilation and glare control while also preserving the pleasant views of the school’s courtyard and surrounding landscape.
Project Background
After over seven years of planning, the K-8 students of the renowned Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (BFCCPS) are now being dropped off at a beautiful, brand-new 75,510-square-foot building where they have access to new technology, more space, and plenty of natural daylight.
The Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School has long been committed to supporting its students and its community through classical education; and thanks to its new, larger location, the school has been able to double its capacity from 450 to 900 students and reduce what has historically been a long waiting list. The school’s unique U-shaped design separates the building into three sections – lower grades, upper grades, and a central commons area – that include specialized spaces for art, music, and science as well as ample classroom space and an auditorium.
Connecting with Nature
Maximizing the landscape
The new building blends soft greys and whites with wooden accents for a scenic, stable-like aesthetic that reflects the school’s connection to its community and natural surroundings. This connection to nature also extends to the building’s daylighting systems, as the design’s reference to traditional agricultural structures is further enhanced by the use of UniGrid™ translucent wall systems with a Verti-Lite™ grid pattern that resembles wooden planks.
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Mixing Translucent and Transparent Glazing
The UniGrid™ system at BFCCPS also features both fixed and operable glass glazing intermingled with the translucent panels, allowing for a mix of ventilation and glare control while also preserving the pleasant views of the school’s courtyard and surrounding landscape. Along with those benefits, studies show that natural light has a tremendous positive effect on a student’s wellbeing and academic performance, including being more awake and focused during class and having higher attendance levels.
The new BFCCPS is an eye-catching and innovative space that optimizes daylight for the maximum benefit of its students, and the UniGrid™ mixed glazed system chosen for the project is a great fit for the goals and unique design scheme of the facility.
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Images © Robert Benson Photography
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Select daylighting design information and project spotlights related to education facilities.
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UniGrid™
UniGrid™ translucent panel wall systems feature a lightweight sandwich panel design with fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) face sheets that provide light control and privacy.
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UniQuad®
UniQuad® translucent polycarbonate wall systems provide both excellent thermal performance and soft, diffuse natural light.
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PentaClad™
PentaClad™ systems offer an effective solution for enclosing non-conditioned spaces.
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GridSpan™ FRP Skylights
GridSpan™ translucent panel skylights feature a lightweight sandwich panel design with fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) face sheets that provide light and solar heat gain control.