Nash Central High School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

This new high school for 1,200 is located in a rural area of eastern North Carolina. The educational specifications for this facility were developed to respond to a great need for workforce development education in the region, particularly in the areas of public services technologies. State-of-the art labs were created for Culinary Arts, Transportation Systems Technologies, Industrial Technologies, and Engineering Technologies (CADD.) These program areas are located centrally to encourage interdisciplinary teaching.

The core classroom area is a two-story building that carefully integrates all disciplines (language arts, science and math) throughout. The classroom area is organized into four “house” areas that can be utilized for either grade level grouping or academic houses. A dramatic media center, with views towards an existing pond on the site, is located at the center of the classroom area. Natural light is an integral design feature throughout the facility: clerestory windows bring daylight into the corridor areas and large expanses of glass are used in the media center and dining room.

The campus was master planned to include a future elementary school. Wetland areas, a creek and a pond were all preserved to encourage outdoor teaching. The 100-acre site includes a football stadium with 2-story fieldhouse, baseball, softball and soccer fields, with an additional multi-purpose practice field and six tennis courts. The athletic facilities were designed to encourage community use and are adjacent to large parking areas for public use. A courtyard area with built-in seating and landscaping allows students to socialize during the school day.

The building is a structural steel frame with a combination of standing seam metal roofs and low slope, membrane roofing. Exterior materials include brick, split-faced cmu and metal panels. The mechanical system is a four-pipe system with air handlers, typically serving two to three classrooms. A digital control system is implemented for computerized operation of the mechanical system.

Challenges:

Because this was a very rural site, major utilities had to be extended several miles to serve the site. This process took several years to design, permit and construct. Due to interlocal agency problems, the funding source was held up, causing a one-year delay in start of construction. This necessitated splitting the site preparation work into a separate bid package.

Educator Narrative

Our new high school opened in the Fall of 2002, as scheduled. The full student body is not yet in place, as rising juniors and seniors were allowed to stay at their existing high school, in order to graduate with all of their classmates (re-districting was required with the opening of this school.)

The layout of the building facilitates easy supervision of the students; the straightforward floor plan allows clear lines of vision down all of the corridors. The central location of the workforce development education spaces emphasizes the importance of these programs. While some of the programs have not been fully implemented (due to the small student population currently in place) there is a plan to integrate these programs more fully into the academic program.

One challenge that we have faced is that our teachers need more training to implement the ideas that are embodied within the building plan. Most of our teaching staff has come from a more traditional “departmental” organization. They have not yet fully realized the potential of working with teachers from other disciplines in a more integrated fashion. The hope is that the educational program can evolve to maximize the opportunities that exist with this facility.

The site selected for this new high school created many challenges for the designers. The long, narrow configuration necessitated that the building layout respond accordingly. The athletic fields are grouped to the rear of the site. This can make for long travel distances from the front of the site. However, the athletic complex development is one of the finest in the state and will be used for community events and regional tournaments for many years to come.

The project budget did not allow for the construction of an auditorium. While it would have been desirable to include an auditorium with this facility, the designers did plan for this future addition. As with most school projects, the budget does not always match the identified needs. Difficult choices must be made to assure that the current educational program can be met, while master planning for possible future additions. We do feel that this building plan layout will allow great flexibility for changes or additions in the future.