Debate on Shape of New Taconic High Roof Continues
 Carl Franceschi says he doesn't support sloped roofs on the building but will design an option for the committee. |
Architects are still advocating to design the building for a flat roof but some officials say they want them to be sloped.
On Monday, architect Carl Franceschi of Drumney Rosane & Anderson Architects Inc. said he will design an option that includes a pitched roof but still says flat roofs fit the project better.
"It is an issue of perception as well as the realities. ... Flat roofs are perfectly reasonable," he said.
"It is difficult with a building this wide to put sloped roofs on."
Franceschi says it will cost "significantly more" to put a sloped roof on the building. Flat roofs have a "bad reputation," he said, from past designs. But the quality of the roofs have greatly improved over the years can come with a 25- to 30-year warranty.
"Sloped roofs do leak as well and they require as much serious attention during installation," he said. "There are a lot of ways it can be done right. We stand behind [a flat roof] from a design point of view."
It is not just the design and extra cost, it is a safety issue, too, he said. Snow and ice slide off pitched roofs, causing a potential hazard to the building's 35 egresses.
Both city councilors and members of the School Buildings Needs Commission expressed concern multiple times over flat roofs. Their opinion is that flat roofs need a lot more ongoing maintenance in New England weather.
City Council President and member of the School Building Needs Commission Melissa Mazzeo said she is planning a meeting with council members, the architects, and roofing contractors to look deeper into the comparison between the two types of roofs.
Berkshire Community College President and commission member Ellen Kennedy said the flat roofs on the BCC campus made way for solar panels. Franceschi said solar is planned for the new Taconic as well.
A half dozen or so skylights proposed for one section of the school also triggered concerns about leaking.
Commission member Colleen Hunter Mullett said her experience has been that skylights leak often and ultimately get removed. Franceschi countered that that perception is exactly like the sloped-roof discussion in that the quality of such items have greatly improved.
"We are very aware of that and are making sure we specify the highest quality with a warranty," he said.
Franceschi also reported that the roof will have to house some of the heating and cooling equipment. He said maintenance departments would rather have the equipment indoors, but the limitations on square footage set by the state School Building Authority necessitates some equipment being placed on the roof. He said it will be screened in by fences.
"What we really like to do is screen them so you don't see them at eye level," he said.
While there may be some hang up on the roof, DRA is moving along with the design in quick fashion. Architects updated the commission on the design using 3D models of the interior and exterior.
The most notable aspect of the design will be a large glassed-in library area with one large sloped roof. Glass will be featured heavily on the entrance of the building; in sections like the gymnasium, there will be no glass to offset the costs.
"We have a great orientation to the building," Franceschi said. "We're trying to take advantage of that."
Director of Building Maintenance and commission member Peter Sondrini wondered about the durability of the glass.
"My concern is breaking. We've had a lot of problems at Taconic with breaking," he said.
Franceschi said the outside glass will be coated with plastics for protection. The windows have needed little to no maintenance — even cleaning — in other schools.
DRA architect Vladimir Lyubetsky has already started picking out the materials to be used.
"We want to use durable, long-lasting materials," he said.
The floors will be mostly linoleum in the classrooms, rubber tiles in the hallways and carpet tiles in low traffic areas such as administrative offices. The shop floors will be mostly concrete.
The walls will be drywall in the classrooms and concrete panels in the shops, and constructed so a wall can be easily knocked out to expand a shop.
Wood panels may be added to "warm up the space," Lyubetsky said.
The City Council ultimately has the final say over whether the project moves forward. The school is expected to cost $115 million, with the city paying somewhere in the $40 million range.
Michael Filpi, business manager for the Laborers International Union of North America AFL Local 473, attended Monday's meeting to give the union's support for the project.
"We have many good workers looking to get to work," he said, adding that currently union members are building Colegrove Park School in North Adams. "We are in total support of this project. ... It is a much needed project."
Tags: school building, school building committee, school project, Taconic High,
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