High School Building Committee 6/30/2004
Existing Conditions
White Paper Summary
HMFH Architects and their consultants studied existing conditions at Wayland High School during March, April and May. This white paper summarizes the results of the study. The full study is documented in a detailed 189-page report, available at the Library and at Town Building.
The purpose of the analysis was to determine:
The team reviewed available WHS building documentation and previously completed studies. They conducted more than 20 meetings with custodial and maintenance staff, educators and town department staff to review facility conditions. They inspected the site and the buildings, and completed testing of various materials. They also reviewed pertinent local, state and federal regulations.
Though the facility has been well maintained, many portions of its systems are near or beyond their expected life and need replacement or significant upgrades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical and sewage disposal. The site may present some permitting issues due to its proximity to protected areas. The roofs need immediate attention. There are no structural impediments to renovation, but the facility should be brought up to current lateral-load safety standards (a relatively low cost). Handicapped accessibility and ADA compliance are absent and will require extensive modifications. There is significant asbestos-containing material on site and its abatement should be budgeted at about $540,000.
The team performed a detailed analysis of the site, to identify design and construction issues. They concluded that the site is suitable for an enlarged and modernized high school, but has limitations that will require creative site design and may complicate the permitting process.
The site is about 77.5 acres and abuts the Massachusetts MWRA Weston Aqueduct, the Sudbury River, a National Wildlife Refuge and Priority Habitat of Rare Species (the River Bulrush), and near a Certified Vernal Pool. Portions of the site are within the 100-year and 500-year flood plains. A parking lot, soccer field, and tennis courts intrude into the Zone I wellhead protection area of the Wayland public water supply, where there are very strict limitations for construction, maintenance, and use, and this will need to be addressed. The site is also within the following Overlay Districts: Aquifer Protection, Watershed Protection, Floodplain, and Federal Flood Protection.
It is now occupied by eight buildings, several athletic fields, a vehicle access road, and parking areas. It is zoned Single Resident (SR), where schools are an acceptable use, and maximum building height will be 35 feet and 2.5 stories.
Although no significant traffic and parking issues were noted, on-site circulation is not efficient or conducive to safety and should be improved. At the end of the school day, high volumes exiting the site cause on-site backups of over 20 minutes. Parking is currently adequate but will need to be expanded to accommodate increased enrollment and larger sports and auditorium facilities.
Exterior lighting is not adequate. Existing fixtures are too few and create significant glare and irregular light levels. They also do not meet current town dark-sky cut-off requirements.
The character of WHS is defined by a campus of small scale buildings with outdoor spaces in between them. Students must pass outside to go between classes. This character is highly valued by current and former students and is viewed as an essential part of the WHS culture.
The buildings are largely low, horizontal modern style brick with bronze colored windows. The Language, Science, Social Studies, and the Commons (constructed in 1959), are of similar construction, and consist of a cast-in-place concrete lift slab on concrete-filled steel columns. These buildings, and the Math/English building (1965), all have a roof slab overhang that creates a 5¹ wide protected walkway around the outside edge. The Arts building (1959) is a two-story steel frame building with a tectum roof deck with steel joists. There are under-slab utility pipe tunnels around the perimeter.
The interiors are simple concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls. Originally there were vinyl asbestos floor tiles (VAT) and exposed concrete ceilings with glued on acoustic ceiling tiles. In 1991, carpeting was laid over the VAT and a dropped acoustic ceiling was added at a very low 7¹6² to 7¹8². Lighting is recessed florescent, which creates glare. There is little color except for the lockers and occasional excellent murals painted directly onto the CMU. Originally the buildings had large expanses of glass and skylights at interior spaces, but in the 1991 renovation the skylights were removed and some windows replaced with metal insulated panels.
The Administration/Library building (constructed in 1971) is a two-story structure of cast-in-place concrete floor slabs on metal deck supported by steel joists and columns. The exterior was originally stucco but has been covered with brick and aluminum siding. The interior partitions are typically gypsum wallboard on metal stud framing.
The Field House (constructed in 1959) is a free-standing round and domed one-story building, with split-level locker rooms. Its structure consists of cast-in-place concrete perimeter walls and a wood-framed geodesic-type roof dome and columns. There is a two-story Boiler Room and Garage appendage made of concrete and CMU, and a weight room of uninsulated CMU.
Generally, the buildings are in acceptable condition. Portions in disrepair have simply been kept beyond their expected lifespan. Interior walls and ceilings are in good condition, due to excellent maintenance and the good behavior of students. Carpet was installed in the 1991 renovations over the asbestos tile, but is in poor condition and requires replacement. The condition of the asbestos tile under the carpets is unknown.
The roofs, mostly 13-year-old ballasted EPDM, are in immediate need of replacement. Drainage issues exist and ponding and leaking occurs. Water damage has already occurred and would need to be addressed.
Interior doors are in acceptable condition. Exterior door hardware and frames require replacement due to heavy use and rusting. Double glazed windows installed in 1991 are in good condition, but most of the windows have operable units above 6¹-6² high, and so are difficult to use. Windows in Math/English, Arts, Media Center, and the Field House are original single pane windows and are in serious disrepair with significant rusting, and glazing failure. Some of the ventilation louvers and windows are not functioning properly.
Further structural testing and analysis will be required if the buildings are renovated. The facility is not up to current lateral-load standards. While this may not be legally mandated, this code upgrade is recommended. The cost should be relatively low.
Adding a story to any of the buildings would require extensive work to the existing structures, since none of the buildings were designed to allow for this.
The lift-slab structures appear to be in good condition, and no impediments to renovation were noted. It should be possible to add skylights, move interior walls, relocate columns, and reduce roof overhangs without compromising the structure, although some modifications would be needed. The only significant limitation is non-structural – the typical slab height of 9¹-0² above the floor.
Except for the field house, the buildings are not up to current fire safety codes because they lack sprinkler systems. Flow tests should be made on the existing sprinklers to determine if upgrades are needed.
Public water is available at the site, but there have been past problems in Wayland meeting town-wide demand. Water conservation measures are recommended as a priority in the design of the new school. It is recommended that the domestic water piping be replaced due to its age and deterioration from previous ³hard² water conditions, as well as the likely presence of lead solder joints. Asbestos insulation should also be abated from the piping to provide safe working conditions, especially in the pipe tunnels. Further testing is needed on any piping that would remain.
Public sewer is not available. There are currently two subsurface sewage disposal systems (SDS) on the site, but an expanded SDS or a new wastewater treatment plant with an associated leaching field may be needed to accommodate increased flows. More study is required to determine possible locations, and whether variances will be allowed.
In April 2002, WHS received a Notice of Noncompliance from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, for illegal discharge of materials into the septic system. The illegal discharge consisted of chemistry lab wastes, photo-processing lab wastes, and art room wastes. The school is now using temporary measures to store and dispose of these wastes, but a permanent solution is needed. Also, the Commons lacks a system for grease disposal, as would be required under current regulations.
The campus was originally equipped with a steam heating system that was replaced with forced hot water in 1991. Rooftop HVAC units were installed at that time on the Admin/Library building. The system is primarily oil-fired boilers, with some natural gas and electric systems. These are in good condition and have been well maintained, and may in fact have excess capacity to handle a large addition.
Ventilation systems are also in good condition but are inadequate in some areas and some do not meet current code. Noise level of unit ventilators is problematic in teaching areas. Air conditioning is localized and limited to the Media Center and Administration and other individual spaces using residential window air conditioners, and some equipment is nearing the end of its expected life. Indoor air quality tests were not performed, but there are issues related to the systems currently installed because of air intake locations and minimal filtering. These include bus exhaust, pollen and lawn mowing odors, dust and dirt from the carpets.
There is an inadequate supply of natural gas on site, or in Route 126, that would be capable of serving a gas-fired facility for heating. The nearest line of adequate capacity is near the Route 126/27 intersection.
Electrical service and distribution equipment and wiring is obsolete and has reached the end of its expected life. It would not be able to handle additional loads such as technology upgrades.
Numerous building code issues exist, in such areas as doors and partition systems, egress, energy code, electrical and plumbing. These are enumerated in more detail in the full report.
The most significant issue is simply the lack of space. Many classrooms are over 30% smaller than the minimum that the state recommends. Also, a key feature of the WHS program is that students are not scheduled 100% of the day, giving them freedom to study and work with their peers, as well as to socialize. There is not adequate space for these collaborative activities.
A second issue is the lack of modern technology. This includes basics like telephones and computers, digital projectors and internet access.
Daylighting has been shown to have a significant impact on learning, yet the design of the roof overhangs, despite the significant window area, allows insufficient daylight into the classrooms. Providing adequate daylighting should be a major goal of any renovation or new construction, and could be achieved in the existing buildings. The existing electrical lighting creates a high level of glare, which is tiring to the eyes, and does not provide sufficient light in some areas. We recommend changing to indirect fixtures, which would be more comfortable.
Ventilation systems are inadequate, as described above. Air conditioning is limited.
Acoustics in most classrooms are excellent, except for the noise of the unit vent fan motors. Measured levels of background sound were significantly higher than recommended for classroom spaces, though not unusual compared to many existing schools. Some ³temporary² classrooms have significant acoustic issues due to the manner in which their ³temporary² walls were constructed; this could be resolved through normal permanent construction methods.
The academic buildings, as well as the athletic facilities, lack handicapped access. Inside the buildings there are further accessibility issues, including non-conforming level changes, lack of elevators, doorway design, restroom dimensions and accessories, and plumbing fixtures, tables and seating, stairs, and fire alarm equipment.
It is likely that water supply pipes contain lead, so further testing is needed. Lead paint is present but intact. Asbestos is widely present in the pipe insulation, floor tile, ceiling tile and some window and door caulking. A budget of about $540,000 is recommended for asbestos abatement.