Vance Travis, president of local company TWH Architects, talks about the design of the new Red Bank Middle School, slated to open in August.With its main building constructed in 1937 and the gym and library added in 1971, the old Red Bank Middle School is ready for retirement, said principal John Pierce. Built to be heated with coal, the building still has old-time radiators, the roof leaks and walls are crumbling, he said.
“It’s just an old structure with a lot of infrastructure that’s just not working like it should,” said Pierce, who along with his staff will begin the transition soon to the replacement school currently being built. “I think that’s going to bring a lot of excitement.”
Construction is on schedule for the new Red Bank Middle School, which is set to open in August.
The new school includes a two-story space referred to as “the Passage” that ties the classroom wings to the other functional aspects of the school, said Vance Travis, president of TWH Architects, the local company that designed the school.
“It’s a little different than normal school facilities in appearance, providing a positive learning space for kids and a good workspace for teachers,” he said.
The Passage features open staircases and two-story glass windows that look out on Signal Mountain in the west. Clerestory windows are used throughout the Passage as well as in individual classrooms to bring in natural light.
“We’re looking forward to having spacious hallways and a state-of-the-art media center with everything working right,” said Pierce.
Along the Passage’s ceiling are 16-foot fans specially designed to destratisfy the air, thus creating an even temperature throughout without hot and cold spots.
“For the winter, they take the heat and push it back to the lower levels to save on energy costs,” explained Travis in regards to the fans, which he said have never been used before in Hamilton County schools.
Each classroom also has its own geothermal water-source heat pump that connects to wells under the athletic fields, which go down about 300 feet in the ground, he said.
Every classroom is also equipped with an occupancy sensor that switches on the light only when the room is occupied. A light-reflecting white roof also saves on energy costs, said Travis.
“It’s all about energy consciousness and sustainability,” he said.
Pierce said he believes the new school will be a good thing for the community as well as the school’s students and staff.
“Any time you get something new it creates community pride,” he said.
Pierce said the new school is also likely to draw new residents to Red Bank.