Architect: Arthur Tam Associates
Contractor: Sausal Corporation
Structural Engineer: Cam Yam & Associates
Mechanical Engineer: JYA
Electrical Engineer: Silverman & Light
Building Size: 15,000 square feet, one floor.
Construction: Type 5, one-hour fire rating
Features: Exposed wood roof trusses, gymnasium
Project Completion Date: January 2003

Joe Cavanagh's architectural firm, Arthur Tam Associates, has designed hundreds of schools in California. "Ninety percent of them are wood," he said. Tam likes wood because it's affordable. "It also works seismically because it has some give," said Cavanagh, who must take the threat of earthquakes into account when designing. The Lafayette school is built using light frame wood construction with 5/8" type X drywall to achieve a one-hour fire rating. The roof structure employs I-joists with micro-lam webs and an OSB center, allowing the joists to carry large loads over long spans without losing their connections to decking.

Long Division

Unlike many school districts where the district is in charge of its own buildings and construction, California has what's called the Division of State Architect (DSA), which oversees all school and hospital construction in the state.

Most commercial construction in California is covered by the UBC building code. "The California State Legislature has mandated that schools and hospitals be held to a higher standard," said Leroy Tam who works at the DSA. "That's why schools and hospitals must comply with the more rigorous California Building Code. We also certify special state building inspectors out of our office to enforce the CBC in school and hospital construction."

"The DSA tends to be much more rigid than most school districts," Cavanagh explained. "They're very comfortable with traditional construction methods, such as light frame wood construction. "Most K-12 schools are constructed with one-story, light wood frames. Tall shear walls sheathed in plywood form the walls of larger structures such as gyms. Tam said another reason for wood's popularity is the increasing demand in some communities for environmentally-friendly building materials, and the fact that many of today's wood products meet requirements for sustainability, resource efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

Raising the Roof

The arched roof of the Stanley School gymnasium features shear walls that support large, naturally finished laminated wood roof trusses—which in turn support exposed wood framing and plywood sheathing painted white. The warmth of the natural wood trusses against the white framing and sheathing lend beauty to what would normally be a sterile industrial environment.