Top Real Estate Projects 2012: Roseland Creek Elementary School, Santa Rosa

[caption id="attachment_66469" align="alignnone" width="595"] The Roseland Creek Elementary School campus in southwest Santa Rosa is a unique two-story structure with a pedestrian bridge.[/caption]

Location: 1683 Burbank Ave., Santa Rosa

Owner: Roseland School District

Design: structure and interior -- TLCD Architecture; landscape -- Quadriga Landscape Architecture & Planning; kitchen -- Ballinger Restaurant Equipment

Engineering: civil -- Brelje & Race Consulting Engineers; structural -- 2FA Structural Engineers; mechanical and plumbing -- H&M Mechanical Group; electrical and lighting -- The Engineering Enterprise

Construction manager and owner’s representative: Counterpoint Construction Services

Division of the State Architect’s inspector of record: Bruce Mansell

Contractors and suppliers: general -- Lathrop Construction Associates; grading -- Ghilotti Construction Co.; mechanical -- Foster & Pasley HVAC; precast concrete -- Butte Steel & Fabrication; concrete reinforcement -- Camblin Steel Service; asphalt paving -- Centerline Striping Company; rough carpentry -- Union Framing; painting and coatings -- Valdez Painting; survey and construction staking -- Construction Survey; signage -- A Good Sign & Graphics Co.; sports floor covering -- Western Floor Services; plumbing -- CBS Plumbing & Heating; fencing and gates -- Crusader Fence Co.; horizontal louver blinds -- Drapery Concepts; elevator -- Dream Rite Elevator; metal lockers and fire extinguishers -- Global Specialties Direct; wood casework and fume hoods -- J.R. Stephens Company; projection screen and TV brackets -- KD Specialty Contractors; plastering -- Henley & Co.; playground equipment -- Playgrounds Plus; air balance -- National Air Balance Co.; window treatment -- Penisulators; ceramic tile -- Peterson Tile; glazing and aluminum: Progress Glass Co.; fire suppression -- R. Lowry Fire Protection; earthwork, paving and demolition -- R.C. Knapp; concrete -- R.E. Maher Concrete; irrigation and landscaping -- RMT Landscape Contractors; library stacks -- Ross McDonald Company; overhead-coiling doors and side-coiling grilles -- The Smith Company; kitchen equipment -- Yaffee; doors and frames -- Young Builders; flooring -- FloorTec; prefabricated pedestrian bridge -- Excel Bridge Manufacturing Co.; residential appliances -- GE Appliances & Lighting; floor mats and frames -- Glendon Company; rugs and mats -- Hilton Construction Products; playground equipment -- North State Play Structures; hollow metal doors and frames -- Santa Rosa Hardware Co.

Cost: $17.5 million

SANTA ROSA -- The new Roseland Creek Elementary School opened its doors for the first time on Aug. 20 to welcome 400 students for the fall semester.

This school, located at 1683 Burbank Ave., serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade on a campus built in southwest Santa Rosa in a culturally diverse neighborhood.

Situated within a meadow along an oak-lined creek running along its southern border, the school is the first to be built in the Roseland School District in nearly 50 years.

[caption id="attachment_66467" align="alignleft" width="188"] The entry takes advantage of natural sunlight and outdoor views.[/caption]

Designed to meet the needs of a growing local population, this 62,000 square foot campus provides a learning environment for up to 750 students.

Built at a cost of $17.5 million, the campus is comprised of three buildings placed around open space on the site that creates an interior courtyard.

There are two, two-story classroom buildings that contain five kindergarten classrooms along with three special education classrooms, 26 elementary classrooms, a computer classroom, library and the school administrative office.

The third structure is a multi-purpose building used as an assembly area, gymnasium and lunchroom.

With a design that integrates natural light, high efficiency lighting and advanced HVAC systems, the school’s energy performance exceeds California’s Title 24 energy saving requirements by 28 percent, according to Ian Grossman, project architect with TLCD Architecture. 

As a result of these savings, the district should receive a $50,000 rebate by participating in PG&E’s Savings by Design Program.

With emphasis on humanizing the scale of the building to make it more child friendly, the multi-use and two-story classroom buildings are organized into groups of four classrooms. Large exterior wallspace includes a colorful composition of glass, stucco and siding.

“As students enter their new school, sunlight dances through the tall, colored glass entry vestibules as well as through the glazed, two-story pedestrian bridge that links the classroom buildings and embraces the natural surroundings of the neighborhood,” said John Dybczak, K-12 practice leader for TLCD Architecture. 

“The pedestrian bridge allows students to access the elevator and to navigate both floors of both buildings without having to go outside.

A small reheating kitchen is part of the campus. The school district purchases student lunches from an outside vendor and reheats them after they are delivered.

[caption id="attachment_66470" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The pedestrian bridge allows students to access the elevator and to navigate both floors of both buildings without having to go outside.[/caption]

Lathrop Construction Associates, Inc. was the general contractor. Construction began on March 17, 2011 and the project was completed on September 21, 2012.

“We are all very excited about this new school,” said Gail Andrade Ahlas, superintendent of the Roseland School District.

“The district had been impacted by growing enrollments with a total of 2,400 students in our K-12 classes – including 1,000 students at each of our other two elementary school campuses. Opening this third site has been extremely helpful.  We gave parents a choice as to whether to transfer their children to Roseland Creek and we had some 400 students on the first day.”

Superintendent Ahlas said the campus is beautiful, with a creek on the property, open space and lots of trees.  “Our dream is to someday offer an outdoor classroom in this setting where students can learn more about the environment.”    

It takes a large group of contractors and subcontractors to construct a school campus, while also taking steps to save energy and protect its environment. 

Stormtech stormwater filtering systems were used to prevent debris from entering the creek. A water well is being use for drought tolerant landscape irrigation.

The existing creek landscape habitat was restored and bioswales were added to treat storm water runoff.

Low-E, high efficiency dual pane glazing was used throughout the complex. Kawneer thermally broken storefront and curtain wall systems were installed with operable vents to provide fresh air.

Durable James Hardie cement-based exterior siding covers outside walls of each building. Forbo Marmoleum resilient flooring was used along with Patcraft carpet tiles held in place by Burke rubber base adhesive. Dal-tile tiles were used in rest rooms.

Mechoshade roller shades reduce sun glare from windows. Armstrong supplied a suspended ceiling system and Sherman Williams provided the paint.

Metal doors and frames came from Security Metal Products and door hardware was sourced from Sargent.

Low-emitting wall treatments were obtained from MDC Wallcoverings, and plastic laminated casework came from Wilsonart and Formica.

Mechanical features include Daikin high-efficiency heat pumps, energy management systems and automated displacement ventilation controls.

Plumbing components, such as sensor operated flush valves and toilet fixtures, were obtained from Zurn.  Sink top controls were sourced from Just Faucets, and Bradley wash fountains were installed in student restrooms. In addition, Haws drinking fountains are strategically placed throughout the complex.

Bradford White ultra high-efficiency gas water heaters as well as Select water heaters provide hot water at the school.

Energy efficient T-5 and T-8 light fixtures and motion sensor controls were used.  Electronic ballasts allow for dimming or stepped lighting levels. Occupancy sensors automatically turn off lights to save electricity.

Category 6 high-speed data cabling and wireless communications capability was built in throughout the complex.

The goal of the waste management program was to ensure that 50 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.

The Roseland School District serves students from preschool through high school with high expectations for all students to be fully prepared for college and beyond.

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