Windwalls Help Bring Vision To Large Catholic Schools Campus In Utah

DRAPER, Utah--March 30, 2000

The extensive use of interior windowalls has helped to unify the structures of a large Catholic school campus with a vision of its central purpose that transcends the walls of the facility.

In a setting near the mountains just south of Salt Lake City, Skaggs Catholic Center is one of the largest single Catholic school projects built in the U.S., according to Kyle Taft, AIA, of MHTN Architects, Salt Lake City. The center includes the 75,000 sq. ft. St. John the Baptist Elementary School and 273,000 sq. ft. Juan Diego Catholic High School, as well as facilities for a middle school, nursery and day care. Dr. Galey A. Colosimo, coordinator of the project and now principal of Juan Diego Catholic High School, says the facility provides for the educational and spiritual needs of children "from cradle to college." He notes, "We found that families where both parents work end up shuttling back and forth between their jobs and their kids' school and extra-curricular activities at different locations. At the Skaggs Catholic Center, we are providing a sort of 'one stop shopping' to provide all these functions at a single facility and save them time."

Largest Catholic School Project

While other schools may be larger, the Skaggs Catholic Center is reportedly the largest such Catholic project constructed at one time. Originally, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City operated a single high school, on the north side of the city. As the area's population grew and residential development expanded several miles to the south, Catholic parents from south of the city faced a 15 to 20 mile commute each day if they wanted to send their children to a Catholic high school. To alleviate this problem, the Diocese began a search for a location south of town on which to build a second school.

The $40 million project took on a new life and a new name when Mr. & Mrs. Sam Skaggs stepped forward to provide its entire funding through the Sam Skaggs Family Foundation. Mr. Skaggs is the former owner and CEO of American Stores, a retail drug and grocery chain headquartered in Salt Lake City, with approximately $25 billion in annual sales. It has since been acquired by Albertson's, Inc., of Boise, Idaho.

The result is a 350,000 sq. ft. complex that includes the 5,000 sq. ft. Guardian Angel Day Care Center, which operates year-round, as well as a preschool, kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school, sixth through eighth grade middle school, and ninth through twelfth grade high school. Construction began in 1997, and the school complex opened its doors to the first students in September, 1999. The K-8 grades are at capacity, with approximately 900 students. The high school, which was designed to accommodate approximately 2,000 students, started with the ninth and tenth grades and will add the others over the next two years to reach an optimum student population of 1,200 and allow for future growth.

A School With a Vision

The school was conceived and designed to reflect Catholic tradition and convey the religious purpose of the facility. Dr. Colosimo explains, "Catholic education began in monasteries over 1,500 years ago, and many of our European and Western monasteries are designed around a central courtyard, which we call a cloister. The circular drive in the center is meant to imitate that tradition and represent the everlasting nature of our existence. Rising out of the circle is the cross tower, representing Christ, which unifies the buildings on campus. All of the buildings reflect monastic culture and traditions and also the traditions of Catholic education. These themes are the preservation and the advancement of knowledge, faith development, and the life of the community."

All of these concepts come together in the openness of the school buildings. Kyle Taft explains, " We recognized the need for light and openness, and we were able to open up the buildings in some amazing ways." Among these is the library, with windowalls that let in the spectacular view and light from outside. Above the library is the faculty lounge, separated from the library by a windowall that carries the same light and view into the lounge area. The curved interior windowall was created using Steelcraft¨ architectural stick system components.

Dr. Colosimo cites another purpose for the light, open feeling of the campus. "In the early cathedrals, the flying buttress and similar designs were more than an attempt to bring light into a building. They also were a way to lift people's thoughts up toward God. When we talked to the architects, we told them we wanted them to imitate some of the same cathedral feeling of light and openness."

Windowalls Help Maintain the Vision

Rather than simply using conventional aluminum windowalls to bring light into the buildings, MHTN went a step further and added large interior windowall areas to let this light extend to other parts of the building. Taft explains, "The owner wanted some transparency between the outside and inside, and we created that with large windowalls in corridors and the administrative areas to bring the light in and distribute it. The campus has a beautiful setting, with a view of the Wasatch Mountains, and we wanted to bring that inside. The St. Joseph commons is very transparent to the outside, as is the library of St. John the Baptist Elementary and many other areas."

A similar approach also was used in the faculty lounge, which features a curved windowall that overlooks the library. Says Taft, "The faculty room windows are on a rounded wall, which looks down into the library and also provides a view of the outside through the library windows."

To accomplish this, the building uses Steelcraft's architectural stick system to create the interior windowalls, including the curved wall in the faculty lounge. This approach allowed Steelcraft distributor Beacon Metal, of Salt Lake City, to assemble the frames to the project's specifications using the system's pre-engineered fabricated components.

Metal Frames Enhance Door Durability

Adding to the practicality of the building, the wood doors for classrooms, offices and other interior areas throughout the facility are set in Steelcraft F-16 frames. These provide the strength and durability to help ensure reliable door operation, while sidelites transmit extra light and also provide a view into the classroom to assist in supervision. To maintain the fire rating of the openings, wire-reinforced glass is used.

Since it opened, enrollment for the schools at the Skaggs Catholic Center has exceeded all expectations. St. John the Baptist Elementary School is completely filled and has a waiting list. Juan Diego High School is expected to be filled well in advance of original five-year projections.

MHTN Architects, Inc., founded in 1923, is an award-winning team of 113 professionals that provides comprehensive architectural services to major clients within the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Its clients include commercial, university/ student union, healthcare, education and government-related entities.

The general contractor for Skaggs Catholic Center was Big-D Construction, Ogden, Utah, ranked among the nation's top 100 contractors and construction managers.