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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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Grange Middle School
A New Student Center Energizes a Middle School
For the students and staff at Grange Middle School in Fairfield, CA, the opening of the school’s new Student Center meant more than freshly painted walls and shiny new floors.
Project Background
Prior to the new student center addition, middle schoolers and teachers would have to eat their lunch outdoors. But thanks to HMC Architects and others involved in the project, students can now enjoy their meals in a comfortable, naturally lit cafeteria instead of under a cold winter rain or a hot spring sun.
The cafeteria’s clever design and careful daylighting allows students to continue benefiting from gentle sunlight and fresh air – without rain or unpleasant heat.
Maximizing Daylight
Light and solar heat gain control
The translucent panels composing the upper half of the cafeteria walls illuminate the space in soft, diffused daylight and prevent direct streams of sunlight from shining in students’ eyes or causing an irritating glare on glossy floors and tabletops. The system also "glows" during evening hours lit simply by interior electric lighting.
Because translucent panels also minimize solar heat gain, UniGrid™ systems are ideal for climates like California where a scorching sun can create unwanted hot spots and increase indoor temperatures, forcing the school to compensate for the heat gain with high cooling costs. This helps the cafeteria stay cool and comfortable while students eat.
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Maximizing Daylight
Making outdoor spaces more usable
The UniGrid™ translucent wall panels also extend beyond the interior space, and ring the walls of a partially enclosed “patio” space as well, providing a continuation of soft natural light for both interior and exterior spaces, and creating a welcoming, bright and protected space.
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Additional Information
Sources:
https://clarksullivan.com/projects/grange-middle-school/
Project Partners:
Architect: HMC Architects - https://hmcarchitects.com/
Contractor: Clark/Sullivan Construction - https://clarksullivan.com/
Installer: BT Mancini Co Inc - https://www.btmancini.com/
Representative: Apollo Architectural - https://apolloarchitectural.net/
Related Articles + Case Studies
Select daylighting design information and project spotlights related to education facilities.
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Daylighting in Education and Sports Facilities
Examining the benefits of properly designed daylighting and the positive impact natural light can play in these types of spaces.
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Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School
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.
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Grover Cleveland Charter School
Multiple daylighting strategies help reinvigorate a 1960s school.
Contact Us
If you have questions about our products, need technical or design assistance or simply want to find out if your project's daylighting design is feasible and budget-friendly, contact us via the link below.
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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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UniQuad® Window
Unitized modular version of our custom UniQuad systems, optimized for small openings like clerestory applications.
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PentaClad™
PentaClad™ systems offer an effective solution for enclosing non-conditioned spaces.