BRANDON C. McKEE

Building Statistics

General Building Data

• Building Name: Ambridge Area High School (AAHS)
• Location and Site: The site of the new Ambridge High School sits adjacent to the existing high school in downtown Ambridge, PA along Duss Avenue (SR 989), a major traffic route connecting State Route 65 and State Route 51 via the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge.
• Building Occupant Name: Ambridge Area School District
• Occupancy or Function Types: Educational
• Size:  245,325 Sq. Ft.
• Number of Stories Above Grade/ Total Levels: 3 Stories

Primary Project Team

• Owner: Ambridge Area School District
• Architect: Foreman Architects Engineers
• Construction Management: Foreman Program and Construction Managers
• General Contractor: Kusevich Contracting Inc.

Project Information

• Dates of Construction: September 2005 – September 2007
• Overall Cost: $39.2 Million
• Project Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build with twenty five prime contracts

Architecture Data

• Architecture: The new Ambridge Area High School (AAHS) will replace the existing three story brick structure, built in 1928. Efforts to preserve and renovate the school failed when it was declared ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It stands as the most distinctive building in the town, also home to Old Economy Village, home of a nineteenth century Christian communal group, in the historic district which retains its original architecture. The new school will mimic the existing one with a massive red brick structure and a steel bridge entrance which pays homage to the steel fabrication operations which built the town in years prior. The new design was met with some resistance from the community, but the project goal is to provide the district with a more efficient building, aiming to improve indoor air quality, accessibility, and technology integration. 

  Facilities housed in the building include a state of the art computer aided drafting (CAD) suite, a television studio, one court gymnasium with retractable seating, cafeteria, and a JROTC target shooting range. A Large Group Instruction (LGI) space provides teachers with a flexible space capable of seating more students in a university lecture hall type setting.

• Major National Codes: 2003 International Building Code, Americans with Disabilities Act

• Zoning: Zoned for Educational, Assembly, and some Storage use

• Historical Requirements: Ambridge, Pennsylvania was incorporated in 1910, named after the American Bridge Company, which started operations there in 1903. Ambridge is situated along the Ohio River, sixteen miles Southwest of Pittsburgh, PA. American Bridge was a consolidation led by J.P. Morgan of the largest steel fabrication and construction companies in the U.S. Notable structures manufactured in Ambridge include: the Sears Tower, Empire State Building, and several U.S. Navy warships during WWII. The population of the town peaked during WWII and has seen a consistent decline since American Bridge ceased operations in 1983. The school's mascot is the Bridger, saluting the industrial heritage of the town.

• Structural: AAHS is supported by 18"auger cast piles to an average depth of 40' to attain sufficient bearing capacity. Piles support pile caps and grade beams both along the building's perimeter and inside the footprint. The superstructure is structural steel wide flange beams and girders supported by steel columns the height of the building. The unique member supporting the auditorium balcony is a 114' span plate girder weighing 23 tons. The slab on grade is 4" of 3000psi concrete with elevated slabs consisting of 4" of 3000psi concrete over 20 Ga composite steel deck.

• Electrical: Power distribution is provided by five 480V and 17 277/480 V panels, and 13 480 to 120/208 step down transformers. Emergency backup power is provided by a 275 kW diesel generator with 1000 gallon storage tank. Typical lighting is 277 Volt fluorescent T5 and T5HO fixtures throughout the floor plan.

• Mechanical: Conditioning of interior spaces is handled by 19 air handling units providing 2900-25,715 CFM, Three gas fired hot water boilers with a 6560MBH output each, and two 283 ton chillers. Distribution of conditioned air is provided through steel sheet metal duct. AAHS is fully sprinkled with a fire pump providing 750 GPM.
  

• Building Envelope: The exterior walls consist primarily of face brick, red and gray, to match the school's colors, with a concrete masonry unit backup. Painted mineral fiber siding is used on some elevations, as well as metal grills and screens above the parapet line to screen mechanical equipment. The roof over the majority of the building is constructed of tapered insulation over metal roof deck topped with a 60 mil reinforced black EPDM membrane. Roofing over the corners and entrance is a peaked standing seam metal construction supported by trusses. Conventional single-hung aluminum windows are used on all elevations with glazed aluminum curtain walls enclosing the entrance and corner stair towers.

• Conveyance: Conveyance in AAHS is provided by three elevators.  One freight elevator with a capacity of 4000 pounds travels two stops between the ground level storage space to the kitchen and food service area of the plan.  Two passenger elevators on opposite sites of the building provide stops at all floors and a capacity of 2500 pounds.  Passenger elevators provide a method of transport for furnishings upon completion of the project as well as passengers to meet ADA compliance.

Renderings courtesy of Foreman Architects Engineers