BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TO THE
CENTER
Midtown Community Center
 Newport
News, Virginia, is a city striving to bring community into its neighborhoods.
Their plans include the construction of three community centers designed for
and dedicated to the people of Newport News. Located midtown in this long and
narrow city is the Midtown Community Center, the first full-service
recreational facility. Forrest Coile Associates, P.C., of Newport News,
designed the structure to serve as a central municipal recreational, activities
and gathering center.
Budget constraints meant that the design had to
provide efficient and functional use of the allowable square footage. "Our
design emphasis to create a total community center was driven by a requirement
to combine a broad variety of recreational programs into an efficient, flexible
space, all under one roof," says architect Gerald Swenson. "The
80,000-square-foot first floor contains a number of dedicated sports and
training spaces as well as large multi-purpose spaces which reflect the diverse
activities the Center supports." The center also boasts a full indoor
basketball court with 500 seats, various cardiovascular activity support areas,
several multi-function rooms of various sizes, and a natatorium containing an
indoor 50-meter, 10-lane competition swimming pool with a floating movable
bulkhead. Above this large swimming pool is a massive translucent skylight from
Structures Unlimited, Inc.
"Structures Unlimited, Inc. complimented our
entire design package," states Swenson. "The interior space appears fresh and
healthy." Structures Unlimited, Inc. combines translucent, insulated structural
sandwich panels with aluminum box beams, resulting in the ideal combination of
materials for a pool environment. The system is pre-engineered for each
application and is factory preassembled to assure leak-proof,
corrosion-resistant, trouble-free performance. It is totally moisture and
chemical resistant and is factory pre-finished. The diffused daylight
properties are ideal for use in pool areas, eliminating glare from the sun and
harsh reflections off the water. Savings in electric lighting, maintenance,
heating and cooling costs are also realized.
Structures Unlimited, Inc.
was specifically chosen by Forrest Coile for its durability and
maintenance-free performance. "No other packaged system provides the
combination of corrosion resistance, energy efficiency and aesthetics," says
Swenson. Structures Unlimited's latest advancement is the use of thermally
broken technology into all pool enclosure systems. Maximum energy efficiency
and the ultimate condensation control are achieved in these pool enclosure
systems. The panels are tested by NFRC-100 procedures as endorsed by D.O.E. for
maximum energy efficiency and reliability and offer a "U" factor as low as .10
(R10). Light transmission ranges from 2% to as much as 75% sunlight. In the
Midtown Center, skylight has a light transmission of 19%.
The thermal
break is key to controlling condensation related problems in a swimming pool or
other wet space environments. The constant change in exterior temperature
throughout the day and season, combined with the moisture-filled and chemically
laden environment inside a pool area, causes traditional materials to
constantly sweat. The build-up of this moisture within a structure results in
endless maintenance and even health issues. Structures Unlimited, Inc.
technology eliminates condensation caused by the difference in
interior/exterior temperature. Maintenance, leaking and breakdowns in the
structure caused by moisture related problems are eliminated.
The Center
has openable roof sections in the natatorium and pavilion. This unique option
can be specified to allow up to 40% of a roof to be opened. Openings can be
screened to keep out bugs, birds, leaves and other debris. The overall
performance and strength-to-weight ratio of the panel system is truly
impressive.
Structures Unlimited, Inc. skylights combine a unique
pre-engineered, modular aluminum box beam structure with Kalwall®
translucent composite sandwich panels. Specially formulated, reinforced,
translucent fiberglass faces are permanently bonded to a thermally broken grid
core constructed of interlocked I-beams. The shatterproof panels are locked and
sealed together forming a durable, rigid, self-supporting structure. Skyroofs
and pool enclosures can span areas up to 100 feet and more. The Midtown
Community Center is approximately 30,000 square feet.
"All components
and materials of construction were designed to be as durable, maintenance-free
and energy-efficient as possible," says Swenson. "The exterior material is a
multi-toned brick and insulating glass. The roof is a standing-seam metal type
and Kalwall." Structures Unlimited systems stand up to even the harshest
environments. The structural integrity and strength-to-weight ratio is
unparalled. The panels are shatterproof, highly vandal-resistant and virtually
maintenance-free. Each panel is uniform in thickness and finished with a
permanent glass erosion barrier.
Midtown Community Center, Newport News,
VA
Architect: Forrest Coile Associates, P.C. |
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