Foss High School

New Entryway Creates New Image

by Sheila Bacon

A new concrete accent will help define Foss High Schools new entryway. Photo by Sheila Bacon

A $30 million renovation is making Henry Foss High School in Tacoma, Wash., more welcoming.

The most noticeable part of the project is the new main entrance on the school's west side - a terraced stair with planters, benches and architectural concrete accents. The new entrance replaces the old entryway: a looped drop-off drive and a front door that was recessed into a dark overhang.

"We're changing the image of Foss by creating a much more open presence at the entrance," said Larry Ahern, project manager with DLR Group of Seattle, the job's architect.

That welcoming atmosphere is underscored with the addition of a large glass curtain wall on one of two new classroom wings flanking the new entryway. The glass is a dramatic change from the original design of the 30-year-old building. Few windows made the school seem less than inviting.

"The school as-is feels kind of closed, with not a lot of windows,"Ahern said. "It's focused inwards."

The new classroom wings - one on each side of the new entryway - will add 23 new classrooms to the 2,000-student school. The project also includes the addition of a new gymnasium, expansion of the existing gymnasium and a new mechanical system.

The expansion of the existing "competition" gym requires the removal of a load-bearing wall and the placement of a 120-ft.-long truss, eliminating the need for view-blocking columns. The expansion adds an upper tier of seating and two new locker rooms.

The new gymnasium will allow more space for physical education classes, intramurals, basketball and volleyball.

Shuffling Students

The facelift, which began in April, has been made more complicated because school has been in session during the work. Once the new classroom wings are finished, students will be transferred into the new space while extensive mechanical work is done in existing classrooms. As mechanical upgrades continue, students will be moved from space to space when workers need full access to the new areas.

If crews had been able to work on an unoccupied structure, "it would be a year job," said Spanky Barnes, assistant superintendent for the job's general contractor, Garco Construction of Spokane, Wash. Phasing work around students has been necessary, however, stretching the project schedule to January 2005.

Project Team:

Owner: Tacoma School District No. 10, Tacoma, Wash.
General Contractor: Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash.
Architect/Engineer: DLR Group, Seattle, Wash.