Pioneer Stadium ~ 2010 ~ Where we are and how we got here!

WOO HOO!They have painted the end zones :-) WATAUGAON WATAUGA!

GO PIONEERS

This is the most recent aerial photograph of our new stadium with artificial turf installed!

Mighty Mighty Pioneers

This was the stadium when we acquired the property in 2007.

This is one of the earliest aerial photos. The stadium will be just about in the center of the lower half of the image.

My first attempt of a panoramic stitch to show the excavation of the stadium site grading and rock removal.

We were excited then, and we are still excited to see the development of a first class stadium on this site. Notice all of the rock that had to be removed to grade out the field.

This is what lies beneath the surface ~

and this too, our storm water retention system is buried under our stadium

It is a massive system of connected pipes that will hold run off storm water and gradually disperse it

Once the system was put in place it was refilled with sand and clay and graded to just about 12 inches below playing surface

Upon the graded surface, specified gravel mix was added to raise the next twelve inches

In this photo you can see the precision of the gravel grade as it is being prepared for artificial turf

The runs are in place for track long and broad jump

The rolls of turf are turned out and temporarily placed and what happens???

A mighty wind rolls through out of the west and wastes the days work overnight!

But quickly the next day all pieces are put back in place and readied for gluing

and stitching and anchoring it in place

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas ~ well, bright green anyway!~

In these aerials you can see the scale and placement of our stadium. It is off the main parking lot on the south side of campus.

This is a field we can play on for many many years to come. The artificial turf will save us money, be environmentally green, and be more sustainable over the years than natural turf which has to be fertilized, watered, groomed, and sodded regularly at the cost of nearly $30,000 annually.

It was a wise decision to go with artificial turf on a field that will host football, soccer, lacrosse, and many other competitors for many years to come.

Now it is Done ... (all but the finish lines ;-)

A Favorite Building View

Scroll over and click to enlarge!

I like this view of our school. I think it is one of the best angles to see the front side of the entire building. It is seen from above the tennis courts on the east side looking west.
You will see Howard's Knob in the background behind our school. I like seeing the roof line and the changes from here. You can also view the main entrance in the middle of the school, and get a sense for the length of the building. It is one and a half football fields long!

FYI ~ I did PS out one light pole and several construction vehicles to show this clean overview. You should click on it and look around, it is scaled for large viewing. See if you can see where I photoshopped it! Enjoy!

WHS Tennis ~ Pioneer Blue

In recognition of our WHS Women's Tennis accomplishments I'll post pics tonight of our new Pioneer Blue Tennis Courts.

The courts are in, the fencing pulled, the lighting posted, landscaping beginning, and we are ready to dominate on blue.
As you see we have ample fencing on all court sides and a sloped bank on the east and south side. This is the view from the south end of the courts. Our lighting can be studied here, there are six posts

This is my favorite angle. I suspect many a match will be watched from this grassy knoll to the east of the courts. The view across the parking lot to the school is excellent from this point too.

We have six courts, they are all blue, since as we know, Blue Rules!

And I say that proudly.

Congratulations to our Watauga Women's Tennis who placed first in our conference and yesterday received the #1 seed in the state tournament. Next season on these courts ladies, you will dominate!

Go Pioneers!

Stone Element Central to Commons

This is the front, main entrance to the school. these columns are covered with a fabricated stone. I think the color choice looks nice with our masonry colors. You will enter the front door between these columns.
Here is a close up view of the colors of stone accent we chose. Even though these are manufactured stone, they are not cheap facade decoration. Each stone must be set and the mortar recessed through out the work. It is very well done and looks quite impressive up close.

If you walk straight through the main entrance and into the commons the same stone elements are echoed there in.

The middle of the commons is the location of these feature windows.
As you can see, the same stone work is used in the columns of these windows. (windows are not installed at this time)

This view is from the third floor looking down at the commons from the catwalk along the east side.

Below outside of these windows is one of the interior courtyards. They are between the classroom winds.

This view is of those windows and the columns structurally supporting them from the courtyard level at the back of the school.

These columns carry the stone element and lead the eye to the center of the school, the commons.

If you sequence the photos walking in through the front door into the commons and out to the courtyard you will have a sense of the unity of the stone element in the design features. Very nice work.

Looking up Light in the Classrooms

On a recent visit I was pleased to see the new and contemporary light fixtures that we will have in the classrooms.

While most rooms will have ample "day lighting" (and some will be quite comfortable with just that) all rooms will have excellent overhead deflected fluorescent lighting.

When you walk into a classroom the daylight is first noticed. Even with the overheads off, there is enough light for mobility.

But it is that mobility that brightens the space! As you enter a room before you can even adjust or reach for a light switch, instantly the lights come on!

And why is that? All because of this motion sensor that detects movement in the classroom! As one of our energy savers, this motion sensor turns lights on or off depending on motion. After a designated setting if there is no motion, it dims the lights. Never again will lights be left on in an empty room!

Here is the light fixture as it looks when fully lit. It is a warm fluorescent and lights by reflected light and ambient light. You will notice the soft distribution and warm indoor light.

I say warm because that is so for indoor lighting. I was surprised to see the difference between the cool light (bluish on the lower left side) from outdoor day lighting in comparison the the warm light (rose on the upper right) of electrical light in this photo.

The lights are hung as linear pendants. They are not embedded in the ceiling like old school fluorescent. Hence they can reflect off the drop ceiling when added to give a more even and less glaring light.

This is a closer view of the fixture against the ceiling tile grid.

If you click on this image to enlarge it you will notice the grid and screen of perforated holes that make the light diffuse.

Most rooms have two or three day lighting windows and at least three rows of lights.

One thing new in these ceilings in addition to the lighting is the presence of sprinklers. We will have a sprinkler system that is school wide in our new school. Something safety we have never had at the old WHS. May we never need them!

Follow Me Down the Commons!

The commons is the open area that stretches from the cafeteria to the north end of the school.

To give you an idea of the length of the commons and hallway out to the bus pick up I have taken this photo. The view is from the serving line of the cafeteria. The light at the far end is the exit to the bus pick up. It is more than the length of a football field!

There are two main stairs and this is the North stair well down.

The next photo looks up to Level 3 in the same stair way.

(The connecting level of stairs have not been built in yet! :)

Following is the first video I have uploaded to the blog!

It is a walk down the length of the commons starting from the serving line in the cafeteria and ending at the exit at the north end of the hall.

I was walking at an adult pace, non stop, and it took one and a half minutes.

On the right you will see the Main Gymnasium pass by, followed by the main entrance, then the media center, and finally the chorus room and exit.

Click on the arrow to view the video, sorry about the audio, I had hoped to be able to dub in better commentary. I'll improve the script the next time we take this walk!

I hope you enjoy the stroll ~~~

Auditorium or Theater???

THEATER!!!!

This view is from the middle of the house. The stage is elevated and the floor of the stage is at the level the bucket lift is sitting. With a good "rake" or incline to the seating, this stage should be very visible to the audience.
A glance to the left of house shows the height of the interior wall and arched ceiling. Acoustic clouds will be hung to create good acoustics within the theater. To the left of this photo is the front of the school, the east side.
This image is taken from the stage floor looking out over the house toward the balcony. We have a two tiered balcony which will seat about 150 people.
This photo was taken straight forward from center stage looking at the balcony. The white construction hats at the bottom of frame are on people standing in the center of the theater.

The corners of the balcony are curved to echo the curve in the roof. This will be a showcase feature in our new school and we look forward to sharing it with our community. Wonder what Ms. Miller and Mr. Pope will offer for our first Spring show in 2011? What ever they choose to perform, it will be spectacular!

Just Beginning to be Developed

The science area is just beginning to be developed. This is the first time it has been clear in Area 5, 6 so that we can grasp the expanse of the science area.
Designed to be in a central location for all students it spans the length of the classroom wings. While the walls are not up, one can sense the scale and size of the Science department at our new WHS.

These steel braces beneath the deck of the roof are the framing supports for the Solar Tubes. Natural lighting will be collected through these features and channel light into the classrooms with mirrors and prisms. We saw these in a school visit to North Guilford and were impressed with the light they provided. I will try to locate pictures I took there in 2007 and share them soon.

All plumbing lines are supported by hangers of various sizes throughout our building.

Hangers allow for flex and kick in the water supply as pressure varies and air is forced through the lines when the pumps kick on pushing water through the miles of capillary lines. water pump post