UNIVERSITY COLLEGE in DUBLIN
CHALLENGE
UCD Agile Offices in Ardmore Annex was designed to create flexible, fun and innovative workspaces. Typically, when a space gets smaller it also gets darker; so the main challenge here was to maintain an optimal level of light within the workspaces at all times, whether the wall is open or closed.
SOLUTION
Hufcor’s Type 100K walls were installed with bright white, high-gloss magnetic markerboard.
RESULT
The Type 100K walls with bright white, high-gloss magnetic markerboard kept the space bright at all times while promoting a flexible, fun and innovative work environment.
ST. BRENDAN’S SCHOOL
CHALLENGE
In 2012, St. Brendan High School developed a curriculum that was geared toward preparing students for the future, both college and career. Four paths were developed, including STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Law & Global Business, Medical Sciences, Medical Sciences and Visual/Performing Arts. The challenge facing the design team was to take a 40-year old school with limited space and make it flexible enough to fit that new curriculum. Unfortunately, collaborative group learning brings another challenge of its own to the project—high levels of noise.
SOLUTION
The new facility houses a modern media classroom, science and physics labs, as well as a 3,500 square-foot multipurpose room that can fit up to 500 occupants. Functioning as the project team’s flexible space partner, Hufcor was able to lend their expertise in space management to provide custom, world-class operable partitions and glass walls that allow the space to serve more than one purpose while complementing new curriculum.
RESULT
Hufcor’s Ultra™ Acoustic GlassWall™ products were used to provide a physical separation of space without compromising the visual benefits of observational learning, which according to Educational Psychologist Albert Bandurayet, is the learning that takes place through watching others learn. Hufcor’s products—be it glass or traditional movable partitions—can be very instrumental in any educational setting. St. Brendan High School is just one of many projects with this type of learning concept and while glass is essential to the design, it also provides the ability for students to get the most out of the space.
Hufcor’s Ultra™ Acoustic GlassWall™ systems provide a 46 STC barrier between the classrooms and multi-purpose learning space. This acoustical separation meets the recommendations set by the Acoustical Society of America standards set forth for designing school learning spaces for optimal audio intelligibility. These standards are outlined within the ANSI ASA S12.60 standards that are referenced in LEED for Schools 2009 requirements.
In the multipurpose space, Hufcor installed operable partitions to provide flexibility for various types of student activities such as college presentations, testing and grade-level meetings. The 642 Series Operable Wall is used to provide superior sound separation in the space.
Arnaldo Delgado, Project Manager from Zyscovich Architects said it best: “The system brings 21st century flexibility to the classroom spaces by allowing visual and physical connection to the extended learning areas. Essentially, it provides separation without disconnection.”
JANESVILLE CENTRAL FIRE STATION
CHALLENGE
The former Central Fire Department, built in 1955, lacked a ‘true’ meeting room for EMS and fire crews. Meeting in the hallway or kitchen area downstairs, the lack of proper space threw off day-to-day operations and communication. The Fire Department and City of Janesville approached Hufcor in June of 2015 with the idea to use a local company and product in the design of their new $33-million dollar facility.
SOLUTION
Working in partnership with the City of Janesville, Fire and EMS Departments and the design/build contractor, Gilbank Construction, Hufcor designed a flexible space solution to divide the main training room into 2 smaller classrooms. Featuring Hufcor’s single-pane, acoustically-rated GA-Ultra system, the steel whiteboard writing surfaces and flexible room design ensures our ‘hometown heroes’ can conduct training, planning sessions, and meetings in a distraction-free environment. The space features not only daylighting for increased wellness and health, but also serves as a flagship research and development site for future innovation and Hufcor products.
RESULT
“I do not know of another facility that has this type of product in their training and response facility. The Janesville Fire Department is enjoying the increased flexibility and use we are achieving with the dedicated training space for Fire and EMS crews,” says Deputy Chief James Ponkauskas of Janesville Fire and EMS.
UNION SOUTH at UW-MADISON
CHALLENGE
A LEED® Gold project, Union South at UW-Madison hosts hundreds of university events per semester and its Varsity Hall space is one of the most-used spaces on campus. The onsite student-run hotel, located within the facility, attracts conferences, corporate meetings and alumni weddings year round. Since so many flexible set-ups are required weekly, the set-up needed to be able to move smoothly and quickly by the facility’s mainly student-run staff.
SOLUTION
University of Wisconsin’s Union South installed Hufcor 600 Series operable partitions for optimal flexibility in the Varsity Hall ballroom. The Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style inspired architecture of Union South was complemented by the operable partitions that blend in with the natural accents of the space. The real wood veneers enrich the décor and add to the acoustical performance of the movable wall dividers. The Hufcor 600 Series panels move effortlessly on an overhead aluminum tracking system that offers guaranteed durability and smooth operation.
In addition to the operable panels that divide the ballrooms, Hufcor installed a custom timber-framed sliding door system to provide egress from each of the meeting spaces. The doors offer panic swing doors and can be folded and stacked into adjacent storage closets, allowing free flow into common areas outside the meeting rooms.
RESULT
Hufcor’s operable partitions provide a beautiful and effective solution for dividing Varsity Hall on demand. With the help of Hufcor’s operable partitions, the nearly 11,000 square foot ballroom can be divided with speed and ease into three separate spaces to accommodate events and conferences of different sizes.
BAYLOR CLUB AT MCLANE STADIUM
CHALLENGE
The Baylor Club, located within McLane Stadium on Baylor University’s campus, provides a venue for present and emerging Baylor leaders to build camaraderie and strengthen the Waco community in the great tradition of Baylor University. As one of the only private clubs in the country located on a college campus, the club offers a grand ballroom, separate dining and bar areas, and a walkout mezzanine overlooking the stadium. The walkout area offers a great opportunity for members to experience the Baylor Club and enjoy game day during football season.
Hufcor was challenged in providing a flexible solution that would allow the space to be divided for private events and banquets. Not wanting to sacrifice floor space or compromise the upscale, modern design of the space, the Baylor Club needed a space solution that was both aesthetically pleasing and space saving.
SOLUTION
To fulfill these objectives, Hufcor installed three of its Summit vertical lift partitions to separate their dining area from the ballroom. The partitions enable the Baylor Club to effectively divide their space so large corporate meetings, receptions and other events may take place in the ballroom while the dining area can remain open to club members. Summit’s space-saving vertical design results in zero loss in terms of floor space and square footage. The three Summit partitions stack neatly into a narrow slot in the ceiling, allowing the ballroom to open up into the bar and dining areas.
The partitions also feature an LG architectural fusion finish. This creates the look and even the texture of real wood, while offering the durability of a laminate.
RESULT
Hufcor’s Summit vertical lift partitions successfully fulfilled the objectives of the case study. Today, Baylor uses Hufcor’s Summit vertical lift partition to add flexibility to their restaurant and ballroom space at McLane Stadium. Summit’s sleek, modern design and space-saving vertical storage system provide the club with the flexibility the space requires without compromising design, flow or square footage.
PRINCETON COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
CHALLENGE
Princeton Community Middle School, located in the Cincinnati suburbs, was in the process of renovating/completing expansion. Working alongside the project team, Hufcor designed, manufactured and installed a series of their GA1 Omni-directional movable glass walls to create a flexible learning environment that met LEED daylighting requirements.
SOLUTION
The answer was Hufcor’s GA1 omni-directional movable glass panels. The panels provide the needed flexibility, to open up space for large-group learning and to divide into small classrooms for small-group teaching.
The insulated glass inserts meet LEED daylighting requirements and is designed to stop as high as 44 dB of sound from traveling from one room to another. The panels effectively keep the ambient sound levels within the rooms at levels required (35 dB) for optimal learning. To further control sound flanking, the operable partitions use a lever closure panel, an expandable closure that provides force across the entire system to squeeze the panels together. The 200 pounds of force create a tight panel-to-panel bond, preventing sound from leaking between the panel joints.
Although the movable glass wall panels don’t impede students’ direct access to daylight, even if located within interior sections of the small learning communities, glass panel surfaces often cause rooms to have higher reflectivity times (RT). Higher RT may lower the overall speech intelligibility index (SII) levels, since nearly all sound waves are reflected back from the solid-glass surfaces into the classrooms. Better SII levels mean better hearing and comprehension. To reduce RT, the acoustical consulting team used highly absorptive ceiling tiles to provide much of the sound absorption required to improve speech intelligibility to levels recommended by the ASA.
The acoustical glass wall also uses mullions to match the fixed storefront glass system used throughout much of the building. The bottom section contains a translucent polycarbonate that is more durable than the upper clear-glass section.
RESULT
Combining the benefits of room flexibility, daylighting, acoustical performance, and accessibility, acoustical glass walls helped create an effective learning atmosphere at Princeton Community Middle School.
WISCONSIN INSTITUTE FOR DISCOVERY
CHALLENGE
The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is a public transdisciplinary research institute and “skunkworks” at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, focusing on the interfaces of computation, laboratory science, the humanities and entrepreneurship. Hufcor’s challenge was to provide a solution to provide flexible meeting spaces that could afford privacy, but also allow natural light to continue to flow into the rooms.
SOLUTION
After considering the goals and plans for the space, Hufcor recommended a combination of their traditional Hufcor 600 Series panels as well as movable glass panels. Hufcor’s movable glass wall panels would provide flexibility to collaborative meeting spaces without blocking the natural light. Meanwhile, the more traditional operable partitions would be installed in other areas of the space—but with a twist. Hufcor’s design and engineering team added custom high acoustic window inserts into the lead and trail panels that seal against the exterior glass curtain wall. The single lead window panel maintains the open access to the direct natural lighting while preserving room-to-room privacy from nearly all angles within the room.
RESULT
University of Wisconsin’s unique think tank facility incorporates flexible room configurations to serve the campus’ space needs. Hufcor’s folding glass wall systems offered privacy and daylighting in this LEED Silver case study while Hufcor’s 600 Series panel design supports the facility’s core values of innovation and collaboration.