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double doors open from class-rooms into spacious corridors unclut-tered by lockers. Learning areas are created wherever students gather in small groups. A large, open central area serves as an entry, a cafeteria and place for school and community functions. It’s all part of a concept that encourages student interaction to enhance the total learning experi-ence. At the same time, the smoother f low of traffic, with easier access and egress, improves quality-of-life,

security and life safety throughout the 293,000 sq. ft. facility.

Forest Hills Eastern is the third high school in the Forest Hills School District, located in Ada Township, Michigan, just east of Grand Rapids. Built for a student body of approxi-mately 1150, it opened in September, 2004 with just under 1,000 students in grades 7 through11. The 12th grade was added the next year as classes moved upward.

Although most of the school was completed when it opened, construc-

tion continued until Fall, 2005 on a 1,800-seat gymnasium on one end, a 630-seat auditorium on the other, and a large athletic complex. Addi-tional construction that is scheduled to begin soon will add classrooms to a smaller wing and bring it up to the size of the other two wings. Several other phases are planned for later expansion.

Principal Linda LaBerteaux says, “We wanted to create the sense of a community hub, so we’ve created a school that looks more like a busi-

CASE STUDY

Main entrance to Forest Hills Eastern Middle/High School centers on the

Great Hall area that forms the hub of school activity and traffic flow.

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ness facility or a community center.” She explains that the school was designed to be flexible and versatile in nature, with the academic areas separate from the performance areas. She notes, “With middle and high school programs in the same build-ing, we wanted to be able to separate students by age but not compromise the building’s future use. This led us to a design with wings for classrooms leading off a center multi-purpose area that contains the media and is designed for social congregation.”

The building itself was designed to fit its multi-level site. The design also separates car and bus traffic on oppo-site sides and different levels. LaBer-teaux states, “Those who drive or are dropped off by car arrive at the west entrance, while our 23 buses come to the east entrance, so this helps us keep the car and bus traffic from intermingling. “

During the school day, the only access into the building is by either the east or west doors. LaBerteaux points out, “We learned that, if you

can reduce the entrances and exits, you increase the security, and you also increase the usability of the building. We brought the office up to the main floor and have attendants on the lower floor where the students arrive if they drive or are dropped off. Downstairs, visitors would be seen by the attendants and administrative staff. If they enter through the west door, they pass by the main office, so we have checks and balances there.”

Access control allows the teach-ers to come in after hours by using a card reader to enter the building and a key for their classroom. LaBerteaux notes, “Throughout the district, they have 24-7-365 access to their build-ings. We appreciate the efforts of the teaching staff to work on weekends.”

Open Layout Fosters Interchange

The school is laid out with three wings around a central Great Hall

DOORS AND HARDWARE • SEPTEMBER 200626

1. Students arriving on buses enter here and reach the Great Hall via the stairs at right. There they access their lockers before going to classes in one of the school’s academic wings.

2. Great Hall serves as a central gathering and interaction area, as well as a cafeteria and function venue. Lockers are located adjacent, in area at right, instead of along hallways.

3. Entrance on lower level is used by students who drive or are dropped off by car. Door at right is equipped with power door operator to assist those with disabilities. Compatible door closers and exit devices are used on other doors.

4. Exit devices on doors at other than the main two entrances provide a safe way out in an emergency but are not accessible from the outside to maintain security.

5. Double classroom doors allow smoother traffic flow but also encourage student interaction in areas outside the classroom without sacrificing focus or control.

6. Classrooms are equipped with pairs of wood-grained metal doors that provide both access and durability. Recessed exit devices are both durable and aesthetically pleasing.

7. Pairs of fire doors leading to stairwells are equipped with exit devices and door closers.

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DOORS AND HARDWARE • SEPTEMBER 200628

that serves as a function area, caf-eteria and entry/gathering place. LaBerteaux points out, “After school we have a lot of activities, sometimes with hundreds of students. We can close off the academic wings after hours to keep people in the Great Hall. The same is true when we host events, so visitors from the commu-nity can be in the central part of the building but can’t get back into the classrooms.” Carrying the centraliz-ing concept further, the majority of student lockers are located in an area adjacent to the Great Hall instead of being lined up along corridors throughout the school.

In the majority of classrooms, dou-ble doors eliminate the usual bottle-neck and allow a more open approach to learning. Adjacent areas are spa-cious and allow students to gather in small groups for study or discussion, yet opening the larger classroom doors facilitates staff supervision of the interaction. LaBerteaux says, “By moving the lockers out of the hall-ways, we’ve increased instructional space. We refer to this as the inter-

active learning area, and it provides an opportunity for students to get together in pairs or small groups to create dialog. Because our building is equipped for wireless use, students also can work in the interactive areas with their laptops. We didn’t want the classroom to be the only learning space, so we increased the door width to encourage the f low between the classroom and the interactive learn-ing area.”

The pairs of Steelf lex GrainTech classroom doors combine the warmth and appearance of wood with the enhanced strength and fire resis-tance of steel. Their wood grain sur-faces are embossed into the metal, then painted with a factory-baked, specially formulated stainable prim-er and stained to closely resemble wood. Both classroom doors incorpo-rate Von Duprin INPact recessed exit devices that combine aesthetics with function. The devices feature a wide pushpad that incorporates smooth convex lines and end caps with a roll-ing contour that protects the device and door.

Michael Van Schelven, senior proj-ect designer with URS Corporation, the school’s architect, says, “We used these doors because wood doors wouldn’t work with the 48-in width and the recessed exit devices.” The doors also have continuous hinges, which provide durability over the long term and minimize door align-ment problems.

Concealed closers on the classroom doors incorporate a hold-open func-tion that helps unify the classroom with the interactive learning area outside when it is in use. At other times, the closers ensure that the doors close properly and protect them from damage.

Main entry doors include an exte-rior door and an internal vestibule door equipped with an LCN Auto-Equalizer power door operator to assist persons with disabilities. These are operated by wall-mounted touch pads. Other doors incorporate con-ventional closers.

Sustainable Design

The Forest Hills Eastern School is among the first school buildings to be certified to LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) national standards. Developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is a consensus-based, market-driven national standard and build-ing rating system to define, develop and implement green building prac-tices. It considers sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmo-sphere, materials & resources, IEQ (day lighting, ventilation), and inno-vation.

LaBerteaux says the new school is the fourth building in the Forest Hills district that has sought LEED certification. She explains, “It is a

Closeup shows automatic door operator for ADA compliance.

SEPTEMBER 2006 • DOORS AND HARDWARE 29

Board goal that we seek LEED certifi-cation as we construct new facilities. It’s also important to us as a commu-nity and as a district that we move in that direction when we have the opportunity.”

The overall LEED goal of a sustain-able site is to reduce the environmen-tal impact the solution has on existing property. At Forest Hills Eastern, this involved on-site sewage treatment, aggressive storm water management, open space preservation and native planting schemes, provisions for car-pools and charging stations for alter-native fuel vehicles.

The LEED point system rates build-ings in six major areas that include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, IEQ (day lighting, venti-lation, low-e/VOC), and innovation. Among the benefits of LEED certifi-cation are third-party validation of achievement and the ability to qual-ify for a growing array of state and local incentives, Moreover, the result-ing sustainable design lowers both project and operating costs, reduces depletion of finite resources and nat-ural habitat destruction, and helps control the costs of water supply, land fill and treatment infrastructure.

A Winning Combination

Overall, the school ’s innovative design eliminates bottlenecks to stu-dent traffic as well as to learning itself. Open classrooms with double wide doors, open corridors without locker congestion and open areas that encourage interaction all help fos-ter the growth of open minds. It’s a clear example of how architecture and accessible design can produce practical results.

About the Architect:The school was designed by URS Corporation, an international engineering and architectural firm headquartered in San Francisco, with 140 offices in 30 countries. The company serves public and pri-vate clients in the facilities, surface transportation, air transportation and environmental markets. Its Grand Rapids office is the firm’s largest architec-tural office, with about 300 employees. Contact Michael Van Schelven, Senior Project Designer at 616-574-8425 or mike_vanschelven@urscorp.com for further information.

About Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies:Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies includes leading brands such as Schlage locks, Von Duprin exit devices, LCN door operators and closers, Dixie-Pacific Architectural Columns, Kryptonite portable security products, Steelcraft doors, and Recognition Systems access control products. For more information about IR Security & Safety, visit our websites at www.irsecurityandsafety.com or www.schlagelock.com.

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