Fleetwood, PA
  • Education
  • Total Precast
  • Tan
  • Blast
  • Applied
  • Pennsylvania

Willow Creek Elementary

  • Education
  • Total Precast
  • Tan
  • Blast
  • Applied
  • Pennsylvania

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The two-story, 108,000 ft2 Willow Creek Elementary School was built in response to increased enrollments at the elementary school level. The school opened for the 2009-2010 academic year and features 44 classrooms, a cafeteria, gymnasium, library, computer labs, art, and music classrooms for an estimated 700 students.

The $22.1 million school was designed by AEM Architects, Inc., which also designed the nearby Tilden Elementary Center in Hamburg, PA with CarbonCast High-Performance Insulated Wall Panels. The Tilden school was completed in 2007.

Willow Creek was built in proximity to other Fleetwood facilities and takes the place of an older block and brick structure. According to AEM project architect Justin H. Istenes, the insulated wall panels were chosen for the school because “precast is built to last. The owners toured High’s Denver plant and the Tilden school while it was under construction, and were satisfied they were getting better value with precast insulated wall panels.”

Precast Details

  • Owner: Fleetwood Area School District
  • Architect: AEM Architects, Inc
  • Engineer of Record: Multani Associates
  • General Contractor: Wohlsen Construction
  • Project Size: 79,000 SqFt Insulated Walls, 31,000 SqFt Solid Walls, 28,000 SqFt 8" Hollowcore Plank
  • Project Cost: $22.1 Million
  • Precast Producer: High Concrete Group

Key Project Attributes

  • Three inches of rigid extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam sandwiched between the 3” exterior wythe and 4” interior wythe provide an R-value of 15.

  • The exterior loadbearing precast walls are fully structurally composite, meaning that the interior and exterior wythes act together to resist gravity, lateral and seismic forces.

  • Back surfaces of the insulated panels were trowel-finished “… with a smoothness that almost looks like gypsum board,” says Istenes. The walls were painted with off-white block paint and are the exposed surfaces of the classrooms and halls.

  • Insulated wall panels provide a thermally efficient building envelope.

  • Wythe connectors provide fully structurally composite resistance for loadbearing conditions.

  • Look of “positive sophistication” through thin brick and light sandblast finishes.

  • CarbonCast facade made under an agreement with AltusGroup, Inc.

 

Download The Project Profile
“Traditional [building] methods require refreshing sooner, says Istenes. “Voids and cracks of traditional block and brick make it less efficient over time.”
Justin H. Istenes
"This project was efficient and organized. Once the panels were in place we had little masonry work.”
JUSTIN H. ISTENES

ELEVATE YOUR PRECAST DESIGN.

Have a question about our precast design options? That's what we are here for. Reach out to our team of precast design engineers with any questions or details about your project and we will get back to you.

Contact Us
Image Alt Title