Imagine a school…

Planned using smart growth
principles.
Built from the collective
participation of a community.
Where student test scores
and staff satisfaction improve.
Where over 30% of its energy
needs come from the sun.


Nacht & Lewis Architect’s Inderkum High School is that school.

Inderkum High School, the second for Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) in Sacramento, is a 235,000 square feet, $58 million facility opened in August 2004. The first phase of a joint-use educational complex located in Natomas Town Center, the project incorporates the principles of smart growth and sustainable architecture trends in current educational design. The 2,000 student high school was built using alternative financing and delivery methods.

Smart Growth

The City of Sacramento approved a master plan incorporating smart growth principles for the Natomas Town Center. NUSD formed a steering committee for a cooperative planning process which also included; city library, parks and recreation department, community college district, light rail transit, adjacent property owners and homebuilders. David Tooker, a key participant in the planning process, and former superintendent of the NUSD indicated; “We wanted to partner with other entities to have access to more resources.”

The goal was an educational complex comprised of a high school, public library and community college campus sharing facilities, curriculum and resources and serving as the focus of the new town center and 200-acre regional park.

The need for close proximity another was crucial. Departing from the typical California high school multi-building campus, Inderkum is a single building two-story structure with four classroom wings surrounding an enclosed multi-purpose atrium. Designed for security, program efficiency and sustainability, the high school is compact by most California standards. A typical California high school in a multi-building layout can be 60 acres. The educational complex of high school, library and community college totals only 47 acres.

The complex is the focal point of the town center and connected to it and the surrounding neighborhoods by integrated pedestrian and bicycle ways. The light rail extension plans for a stop serving the town center, library, high school and community college.

Joint-Use

The single building high school allows for the adjacency necessary to share facilities and achievement of the steering committee goals.

The facilities define the boundaries of an outdoor courtyard. The high school cafeteria, used by college, opens onto this quadrangle space with snack bar windows and covered outdoor dining. The high school theater opens onto the ‘quad’ and forms an amphitheater.

The city public library serves both the high school and community college and has “extra” space for computers, computer labs, study areas and books to accommodate the high school, college and community.

Managed by City Parks and Recreation for the public, the athletic fields act as a buffer to the light rail transit and regional park. The recreation and exercise facilities within the high school are also open to the college and the community as a neighborhood fitness center.

Building Design

The high school’s four academic wings connect to the central, enclosed multi-purpose atrium. It has two main points of entry; from the student parking lots and the bus drop–off area. The atrium is planned as a before school gathering space and main circulation path to all classroom pods.

The use of block scheduling allows students to remain in a single pod for several class periods. Classrooms in three of the pods are generic and flexible. By a mutually requested arrangement the fourth pod houses the sciences, math and arts. Commenting on the school’s integration of design and academic programs, former principal Ron Zimbalist told the Sacramento Bee, “Because of the nature of the school, we’re tying it into our (academic) pathways. We’re calling it a living laboratory.”

Lease Lease-back

Inderkum was financed using a lease lease-back arrangement. The California Education Code allows a district to lease property to any person, firm or corporation as long as the lease requires the other party to construct (or provide for the construction of) a building upon the property. Title to the property and the buildings vested to the school district at the expiration of the lease.

The Eastridge Companies acted as developer and Turner Construction Company as the Construction Manager (CM) at Risk contractor. Executing Nacht & Lewis Architect’s design, the development team was able to deliver the project one month ahead of schedule at a cost savings of more than $1.5 million for the district.

Sustainability

Sensible building orientation, natural daylight, efficient use of natural resources and the conservation of materials and energy are all features used in the design of Inderkum. Windows and clerestory’s provide 100% daylight in the multi-purpose atrium, gymnasium, upstairs hallways and half of its 72 classrooms. The impetus for achieving such a high level of natural daylight was the findings of the research firm, The Heschong Mahone Group, Inc, which showed a 7% to 26% increase in student test scores supporting the notion that day lighting can have a positive effect on the learning environment.

Through collaboration with local utility providers and a rebate of $2 million from the State photovoltaic panels covering 33,500 square feet of roof generate 467 kilowatts providing or over one-third of the school’s total calculated energy demand. Anticipations are high the school will sell electricity back to the utility company. At the time of its June 2004 installation, the array was the largest installed at a high school in the nation.

The school uses a geothermal system of 400 wells 350 feet deep. This system frees the roof of equipment and allows for the photovoltaic panels. The multi-purpose atrium uses a radiant floor heating system and is cooled by thermal displacement ventilation (TDV) system.

Conclusion

The facility incorporated many features that by themselves are good things but when combined become extraordinary. Producing its own electricity, the generous use of daylight and a geothermal mechanical system all work to provide enhanced efficiency and a more self-sustaining building. Joint-use and smart growth planning principles work to share resources, increase efficiency, strengthen partnerships and reduce overall site area.

Inderkum High School was the result of a vision and a commitment of a community partnership that allows the combined functions to serve the community better.