When Atlanta Public Schools (APS) transformed the former George Washington Carver High School into the New Schools of Carver, Superintendent Beverly L. Hall called the achievement one that “honors the past while keeping pace with the needs of the future.” This was especially true in the approach the designers took in creating its unique campus.

APS commissioned the Carver project as a model of the “small-schools” concept, in which students learn specialized skills in environments more intimate than that of a conventional high school. A particular area of achievement characterizes each of Carver’s five academies: School of the Arts; School of Technology; School of Health Sciences and Research; School of Entrepreneurship; and Early College. 

Jere Smith, director of capital improvements for APS, said the idea in developing the campus was to create a college-like environment, with each of the New Schools in a separate building so that it would have its own distinctive setting.

Architectural Balance
While the New Schools of Carver represent an innovative learning environment, the project’s buildings also needed to retain the dignity and elegance of the original George Washington Carver High School campus—which graduated its first class of 11 students in 1948—and to provide the kind of structural and energy performance that’s now being demanded of every new public building.

To honor the past, the new campus retained some historic structures; to keep pace with current and future needs, it included upgrades such as wireless Internet access, state-of-the-art labs, and studios. The finished campus complex comprises the historic Leete Hall, two new multi-level academic buildings, two gymnasiums, and the Atlanta Public Schools Archives building.

Two Atlanta-based companies, the Sizemore Group and Allain & Associates, set up a joint venture to renovate three existing buildings and construct the two new buildings. The two firms provided a number of services, including programming, master planning, feasibility study, community involvement, and design. The 242,000-square-foot project was completed under a budget of $33.5 million.

About $740,000 of that budget went toward tackling a particularly delicate challenge: replacing 305 existing windows and installing 180 new ones that would maintain the site’s historic integrity. 

The Window Challenge
“Easily the biggest challenge arose when we considered how to handle the window replacement,” said Emanuel Pessima, president and CEO of Allain & Associates. “We were really struggling with the prospect of using wood frame replacement windows; we just couldn’t afford them on the budget that was available for the renovation. That’s when officials from EFCO brought us the idea of using its Trim-All Replacement System.”

Independent EFCO representative Mark Cox, of Custom Aluminum Systems, collaborated with the glazing contractor in suggesting a solution: EFCO’s Series 6711 Double-Hung Replica windows for the renovation and the Series 2900 Casement windows for the new buildings. Using the EFCO Trim-All Replacement System made it possible to preserve the historic wood profiles while maintaining the aesthetics of the original windows and staying within the budget.

The Trim-All System features exterior panning frames and interior trims that snap in place over existing wood or steel frames, minimizing debris removal after installation and eliminating the need for disruptive scaffolding or staging at the site. Workers were able to work from inside the buildings throughout the installation, which began in early 2005.

“We were able to do the whole job in 10 weeks—six for the renovation and four for the new buildings—with a crew of six, which is smaller than a typical crew for a project this size,” said Mark Easterling, managing member of Southeastern Window Concepts, LLC. “We used EFCO’s historical panning system to retain the look of the original exterior brick mold wood frames, and a muntin-grid design to simulate the old divided window lights. We also replaced the old wooden louver system in the bell tower with matching aluminum louvers.”

“Really, that’s been one of the biggest benefits of this product—it allows us to update the performance and look of dated buildings in an efficient manner,” said David Hewitt, director of marketing for EFCO. “Trim-All was designed to offer a quick and efficient solution to covering existing wood or steel surrounding the window. That means the renovation with new windows can be done faster—and can be done from the inside, saving labor, eliminating the cost of scaffolding and reducing room down time. The variety of trims allows us to manufacture windows that maintain the look of the original design and satisfy all the historical preservation guidelines.”

USG
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