When the Red Mesa Unified District decided to expand Red Mesa High School with a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) building, they set out to achieve two critical requirements: meet sustainability goals and address the challenge of adding square footage to an occupied campus on a very tight site area. Metal wall panels from AEP Span played a key role in the facility's design.
SPS+ Architects LLP (SPS+) evaluated several options to add classroom square footage to the site. A combination two-story and one-story building allowed programs such as welding and radio broadcasting to be properly separated for sound control. Dr. Tommie Yazzie, superintendent at Red Mesa Unified School District during design and construction explained, “The SPS+ design team included representatives from the district and high school early in the planning process. We started with the education specifications and feasibility studies for site options. SPS+’s collaborative design process enabled us to better understand the overall aspects of building on an occupied campus with a minimal site area.”
“The District’s long-standing concerns with durability and maintaining various equipment over time was another critical requirement,” said Robert Pian, architect and partner, SPS+ Architects LLP. “Especially since the school is located in the rural area of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona, we understand the unique climate conditions. This is our 11th public school project on the Navajo Nation, and we were able to design each project to meet the specific needs of the communities served.”
The composition of metal wall panels and concrete block detailing unified the new CTE building with the existing campus materials and colors. SPS+ evaluated products based on profile, reveal size, and panel width. “We wanted to keep the panel width at 12 inches to stay consistent with the existing campus metal buildings while minimizing oil canning,” said Richard K. Begay Jr., architect with SPS+ Architects LLP. “Keeping the panel width consistent promotes efficient installation while maximizing design opportunities with simple reveals and change in color.”
AEP Span Prestige Series® with a 1” reveal and Flush Panel profiles were used in a wall application in three Dura Tech™ 5000 PVDF colors - Cool Terra-Cotta, Cool Parchment, and Cool Zinc Gray.
Project Details
Owner: Red Mesa Unified District No. 27
Project: Red Mesa High School CTE Classroom Center
Architect: SPS+ Architects LLP, Scottsdale, AZ
General Contractor: FCI Constructors Inc, Phoenix, AZ
Installers: Progressive Roofing, Phoenix, AZ
Manufacturer of Architectural Metal Panels: AEP Span, Fontana, CA
Photography courtesy of Studio ASAP