Jackson Taking School Construction to New Level

By Jeffery Whitfield, Athens Banner-Herald, Ga.

Feb. 22–The Jackson County School System will buck a long-standing trend in school construction next year, erecting a two-story elementary school after years of building structures on one level.

More Northeast Georgia districts are planning two-story elementary schools in the wake of rising land costs that are forcing some school systems to consider building up, rather than out.

“There’s a misconception that building two and three stories is cheaper, but the truth is, it’s not,” said Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association. “Most of the time when school systems build up, it’s because land is the problem, because they can’t get enough for a one-story building.”

If land is cheap enough, school planners usually will design a one-story building, but if land is pricey or the school is surrounded by other buildings, officials will consider designing for two stories.

Two-story elementary schools are more energy efficient than one-level schools and don’t cost as much to maintain because of less outdoor area, said Jake Grant, Barrow County Schools assistant superintendent for facilities.

Some elementary schools in older, urban areas have two stories, but stricter fire codes and requirements to accommodate disabled students encouraged one-story schools, Grant said.

“Building trends have gone back and forth,” said Grant, who’s overseen school construction in the Gwinnett, Forsyth and Barrow County school districts.

At one time, architects designed one-story schools with exterior walls in every classroom to let more students see outdoor light, he said.

“That was very energy inefficient … because you have so much exterior wall to heat and cool,” he said.

The new $14.5 million elementary school will abut West Jackson Middle School and house 875 students in one of the county’s fastest growing areas.

While the two-story school is a break from tradition, the site simply isn’t big enough for a school all on one level, along with playgrounds and trees, said Jackson County School System Superintendent Shannon Adams.

In neighboring Clarke County, the smallest county in Georgia, school officials are “seriously” considering multi-story buildings for two future elementary schools because of land costs and space constraints, said district spokesman Mike Wooten. Administrators plan to build two new elementary schools in the next decade.

“You’ll have to clear less land, preserve more trees. Overall, it makes less of an impact to build on more than one level,” said Wooten. “We want to be sensitive to environment because of community interests and it’s also the right thing to do.”

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