Armstrong
Sanderson High School in Raleigh, N.C., originally was constructed in 1968 as a straightforward brick building that incorporated little color into its interior. The main objective of an $18 million renovation project was to infuse a sense of fun into the building.
Basically starting over, ceilings of public spaces such as the dining area, main lobby and media center were used creatively to establish the spaces as a landmark for the school.
In the main entrance of the lobby, a coffered ceiling with recessed square panels bordered with trim was added to highlight the space. The 11-foot-high coffer measures 12 feet by 30 feet in area, and features MetalWorks Vector perforated metal ceiling panels.
Drywall and a narrow perimeter band of open space between the ceiling and the wall surround the coffer. The perimeter treatment is designed to emulate a similar ceiling treatment that occurs in other corridors throughout the school. Up-lighting around the inside of the coffer draws even more attention to the ceiling.
The school's media center presented a unique problem. The HVAC system was installed without consideration of the new ceiling. A new ceiling had to be designed for the center's entrance area because there wasn't time to correct the HVAC configuration.
