Steel Roof Proves Big Hit At Teton Learning Center

JACKSON, Wyo. — Connecting people, nature and education can be an elusive challenge in the sparsely populated, bucolic corner of Wyoming known as the Tetons.

Yet, it has defined the mission of the Teton Science Schools as it reaches out to children, families and teachers with a bounty of educational and environmental programs.

Founded in 1967, the private, nonprofit school operates on two campuses: one at the school’s original site in Kelly, and the newly completed campus in Jackson . The new campus houses environmental education programs, including Journeys School with 185 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and a residential environmental education center serving school, family and adult groups of up to 200 participants a week. A teacher learning center offering continuing education to teachers throughout the United States is also located on campus.

A Nine-Building Challenge

Designed by Mithun Architects of Seattle and Hawtin Jorgensen Architects of Jackson, the Jackson campus can accommodate up to 420 students and teachers and features nine buildings: a welcome center, dining hall, outfitting center, two residential lodges and four educational facilities.

Students, faculty, parents and administrators assisted in the planning and design phases by engaging in programming and visioning workshops. Teton Science Schools’ wildlife biologists served as consultants to ensure compatibility between existing and new communities of native plants and to prevent the invasion of non-native species.

The new Jackson complex features 73,000 square feet of standing-seam steel roofing.  School buildings are equipped with natural gas boilers and radiant heated concrete floors.

Despite the emphasis on educational programming outside the classroom, considerable attention was focused on creating the ideal learning environment for students in the classroom. The Jackson complex is covered by nearly 73,000 square feet of standing-seam, steel roofing with a soft gray coating that complements the school’s overall color scheme and views from the ridgeline above the campus.

“Color was just one of many factors that went into the decision to employ a gray steel system,” says Arne Jorgensen, principal of Hawtin Jorgensen. “We also compared metal to other materials with respect to installed and life cycle costs, maintenance, recyclability and overall compatibility with the building’s low-slope, shed-like roof forms. Metal just seemed to make more sense.”

Metal is a traditional material in the area and it offers more fire protection in a region where fires are a major concern during the dry summer months, according to Jack Shea, executive director of the Teton Science Schools. Metal roofs also hold up well under heavy snow, which is needed in a region that normally receives upwards of 75 inches of snow each winter.

Aside from selecting a suitable roofing system, the project architects had to wrestle with a number of critical components in the design process. The first was to limit the impact of the new buildings on the construction site. Consequently, the nine buildings are concentrated on less than 2 percent of the 880-acre campus.

“Our goal was to create an environment that would promote good conservation practices,” Jorgensen says. “Each building in the complex incorporates money-saving innovations.”

Benefits From Sun Shading

Buildings were configured to maximize passive solar gain and natural cooling. A computer-modeling program was used to locate window openings that would allow maximum cross-ventilation, eliminating the need for air conditioning. Heat recovery units were installed to recover heat from exhaust air and provide high-quality indoor air.

Most building materials were left untreated to reduce volatile organic compounds and off-gassing stemming from the toxicity of finishes, Jorgensen says. Structural systems, including the metal roof panels, wood shear walls, and concrete slabs, were left exposed on the interior to avoid using extra finish materials.

To ensure a high-efficiency, low-maintenance heating system, the schools are equipped with natural gas boilers and radiant heated concrete floors. Other conservation features include carpeting made with 100 percent recycled-content backing and low-flow sinks and showers that are expected to reduce annual water usage by as much as 25 percent.

Although most of Teton Science Schools’ programs focus on field studies in the surrounding national parks and forests, the learning continues on campus through the use of what Shea calls environmentally intelligent buildings.

“From the steel roofs to the radiant heated floors, our guests are introduced to a wide range of sustainable and functional building ideas,” Shea says. “It’s all part of a package that makes for a very unique learning experience.”