Building Statistics

General Building Data

Building Name: Altoona Area Junior High School

Location: Altoona, PA

Building Occupant Name: Altoona Area School District

Occupancy Type: Secondary Education

Size: 292,066 SF

Number of Stories
Above Grade:                           Academic and Fine Arts Building – 4
                                                Physical Education Building – 2

Primary Project Team:

                                                 Owner:
                                                 Altoona Area School District – Altoona, PA
                                                 http://www.aasdcat.com/aasd/

                                                 Architects:
                                                 L. Robert Kimball and Associates – Ebensburg, PA
                                                 http://www.lrkimball.com/

                                                 General Contractor:
                                                 Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. – Altoona, PA
                                                 http://www.lsfiore.com/

                                                 HVAC:
                                                 D. C. Goodman and Sons, Inc. – Huntingdon, PA
                                                 http://www.dcgoodman.com/

                                                 Plumbing:
                                                 S. P. McCarl and Company, Inc. – Altoona, PA
                                                 http://www.spmccarl.com/

                                                 Fire Protection:
                                                 Interstate Fire Protection Co. – Valencia, PA
                                                 http://www.interstateinc.net/

                                                 Electrical:
                                                 G. M. McCrossin, Inc. – Bellefonte, PA
                                                 http://www.gmmccrossin.com/

Food Service:
Commercial Appliance Contracts – Grove City, PA

                                                 Auditorium Seating:
                                                 Maffei Strayer Furnishings, Inc. – Pittsburgh, PA
                                                 http://www.mstrayerfurn.com/

Dates of Construction: April 2006 – August 2008

Cost: $48 Million

Project Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build

Architecture

Design Components: The new Altoona Area Junior High School consists of a 239,434 SF Academic and Fine Arts Building and a 52,632 SF Physical Education Building. The Academic Building houses two cafeterias, an enclosed courtyard, an auditorium, offices, and classrooms. The Physical Education Building houses two gymnasiums, an indoor running track, and locker room facilities. The entire structure is clad in red brick accented with tinted pre-cast concrete elements. The windows and doors are aluminum with decorative pre-cast panels.

Major National Codes: IBC 2003

Zoning: Neighborhood Business Commercial Zone

Building Envelope:

Floor:
5” Slab-on-Grade on Vapor Barrier Over 6” Granular Base Course

                                                 Walls:
                                                  12” CMUs with 4” Masonry Veneer

                                                  Roof:
                                                  1.5” Steel Roof Deck Over Joist

Electrical

The Building is fed with 4000A, 480/277V service. The building's backup power is provided by a 600 kW emergency
generator.

Lighting

The building features fluorescent pendant luminaires in most of the interior spaces with HID luminaires on the exterior.
An auditorium dimming system and theatrical lighting are also included in the overall system.

Mechanical

The building’s air handlers are serviced by two 225-ton rotary screw chillers and two 3,322-MBH gas boilers. The
gymnasium spaces are served by four DX/gas air handling units located inside the building. The office suite is served
by one CW/HW AHU with eight electric reheat VAV boxes. The classrooms are conditioned by room unit ventilators with
special exhaust systems in science classrooms and experiment areas. The auditorium and library are serviced by five
separate air handlers mounted on the outside of the building for maximum sound attenuation.

Structural

The building is supported by reinforced concrete footings ranging from 12-26 inches in size with a foundation of concrete
masonry units. The main floor slab is 5-inch SOG with W2.9xW2.9 reinforcing steel. The upper floors are 5.25-inch
concrete floor slabs on top of 9/16” steel decking. Load-bearing CMU walls are reinforced by steel columns with single
steel floor joists. The roof system uses 1.5-inch steel decking as a base.

Fire Protection

Smoke detectors and emergency pull stations are connected to a centralized alert center within the building. Sprinklers
are provided throughout the building as is stipulated by the international building code. Ceiling-mounted luminaries and
exit signs are powered by the backup generator in case of an emergency.

Telecommunications

The building features a voice and data communications system as well as a closed-circuit television system which is
accessible in all classrooms and throughout all major assembly spaces in the building. Interior and exterior security
cameras providing real-time and recordable video will also be installed throughout the school campus. The auditorium
and gymnasiums feature public address systems and interactive scoreboards where needed.

While great efforts have been taken to provide accurate and complete information on the pages of CPEP, please be aware that the information contained herewith is considered a work-in-progress for this thesis project. Modifications and changes related to the original designs and construction methodologies for this senior thesis project are solely the interpretation of Christopher G. Conrad. Changes and discrepancies in no way imply that the original design contained errors or was flawed. Differing assumptions, code references, requirements, and methodologies have been incorporated into this thesis project; therefore, investigation results may vary from the original.