Bold School

Vegas School Combines Career Training with Sustainability

by Tony Illia

High schools have changed. Typing and home economics have been replaced by culinary arts and information technology. Students now learn media relations, pre-engineering and nursing.

To keep up with the changing needs of high school students, the Clark County School District is building the Northwest Career and Technical Center in Las Vegas.

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The new $65.7 million, 214,000-sq.-ft. facility under construction at 8800 Tropical Parkway is a bold experiment that brings six vocational academies together under one roof. The center will enroll roughly 2,044 high school students who will vie for admittance through a competitive application and testing process. It will offer project-based, hands-on learning for students seeking certification in nursing, media communications, pre-engineering, hospitality, transportation and early childhood training.

The project, which began in 2005, is on schedule to finish by July 2007.

The two-story, concrete tilt-wall complex will feature a glass, corrugated metal and curtain-wall skin. It's organized around an 8,000-sq.-ft. courtyard and 300-seat amphitheater shaded by a soaring tensile fabric structure. Las Vegas-based Sletten Construction of Nevada Inc., the project's general contractor, will cast 300 concrete tilt panels onsite, with the largest ones measuring 30 ft. tall by 20 ft. wide and 12 in. thick.

Mendenhall Smith of Las Vegas is the structural engineer.

Designed by SH Architecture of Las Vegas, the 30-acre campus creates an alternative to the normal educational experience and is meant to improve dropout rates.

Each discipline, for example, has its own entrance, lobby and signage to encourage a sense of ownership among students. The campus is laid out like an academic village consisting of six interconnecting modules that are distinct and self-sufficient.

Students still share a gymnasium and cafeteria as well outdoor recreational amenities, including three tennis courts, two basketball courts and a 2,000-ft. jogging trail.

The center's appearance and purpose took shape after meeting with community leaders. Wynn Resorts, for example, guided the hospitality program, master chef Gustav Mauler designed the culinary kitchen and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union assisted with the pre-engineering program.
The Community College of Southern Nevada aided the nursing and early childhood training sectors, and Courtesy Automotive designed the transportation program.

The new school will act more like a hybrid vocational junior college rather than a high school. Students will be able to earn credits towards professional certification upon graduation, while others can move straight into industry specific positions.

"This is a different kind of school, so it's a different kind of design," said Mark McGinty, SH Architecture's studio leader for K-12 education. "The building itself is a learning tool with technology infused throughout."

The project is pursuing a silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and if successful, it will become the school district's first silver LEED rated building.

"It's an environmentally friendly building that's going to reduce energy costs by over 50 percent," said Fred Smith, CCSD's director of construction management. "This building is going to last 50 years, so that's a lot of money over time."

The facility will use an underground heating/cooling system that saves about $1 million in equipment costs and $157,000 in annual operating expenses. It's accomplished by running pipes through 475 wells, each 400 ft. deep and 6-in. in diameter. Taney Engineering Corp., Las Vegas, is the civil engineer.
The system works by drawing the building's hot air below ground where it's dispersed, cooled and then pumped back into the building. It functions the same way with cold air during winter months. It's predicated on geothermal properties that remain at a year-round constant temperature.

Pahor Mechanical Contractors of Las Vegas is performing the HVAC work, and GSL Electrical of Sandy, Utah, is the electrical contractor.

"We've paid a lot of attention to the LEED points and what they mean in terms of lifecycle savings," McGinty said. "Each geothermal well is expected to save the equivalent of 1.52 tons of air conditioning annually.

The center will additionally be 80 percent daylighted through glazing systems, skylights and light shelves. The building itself is oriented to minimize direct light, thereby minimizing heating and cooling costs. Other sustainable features include artificial turf and xeriscaping as well as waterless urinals, recycled building materials and stormwater filtration.

"This will be the first educational facility of its kind in Southern Nevada," said K.C. Errett, Sletten's vice president of business development. "Pursuing a LEED certification has entailed a close communication and coordination with all project shareholders."

The project, which began in 2005, will see up to 175 tradesmen onsite at the height of construction activity. The center's design also will serve as a sustainability model for future schools. The district currently plans to build four similar career and technical centers throughout the Las Vegas Valley in the next few years.

Key Players
Owner: Clark County School District
General Contractor: Sletten Construction of Nevada, Inc.
Architect: SH Architecture
Engineers: Mendenhall Smith; Taney Engineering; MSA
Electrical: GSL Electric
Steel: Dittmeier Steel Services
Concrete: Sletten Construction

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