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Why Covered Walkways and Pavilions Are Needed
There are two prominent reasons that schools are being forced to add classrooms to their existing campuses.
First, school planners were unable to prepare for the population boom
in Florida. Many schools were built using the best available date only
to be overwhelmed by an influx of new students (especially in
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) that has strained the
capacity limits of the schools. As of this date, many schools across
South Florida (including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties)
are admitting many more students than their original physical campuses
allowed for. Lunchtimes now start in many schools as early as 10 a.m.,
as the lunchrooms can’t handle enough students to have them all eat
within the normal 11:30-1 range.
In fact, we were recently informed by one school in Martin County that
it had to add portables to the campus before the school ever officially
opened!
Second, in 2002 the citizens of Florida — responding to a classroom
overcrowding crisis — voted to have the Florida legislature mandate
reduced class size. Research showed that smaller classes improve
learning, strengthen discipline, reduce dropout rates, and raise
students’ grade point averages. Schools that were experiencing the
overcrowding are now being forced to add classrooms to achieve the
legislation’s mandate of no more than 18 children in a class for pre-K
through second grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high
school.
This has brought about a need for quick expansion, and many schools
have opted to add portables as a way to quickly and cheaply add
classroom space to accommodate the need for reduced classes. The state
has since mandated that any portable that is expected to (or does) stay
as part of the campus for four years must be considered permanent and
thus needs protected access to and from it.
The Benefits of Using Covered Walkways and Pavilions
Covered pavilions help expand crowded lunchrooms and let schools offer
students the opportunity to eat during a normal range. Taking advantage
of the temperate Florida climate, the use of a covered pavilion filled
with picnic tables and chairs can double the seating capacity of a
school’s lunchroom. If a school of 1,800 has a 300-person-capacity
lunchroom, it would have to offer six separate lunchtimes. By adding a
pavilion it can cut that number down to three.
The same can be done for gymnasium space. While older students may have
more intensive needs of an indoor space, covered multipurpose space can
easily service the needs of younger children who don’t need access to
equipment normally found in a full-fledged gymnasium.
Walkways allow school administrators to ease their campus crunches.
Since the laws have mandated more class space but can’t provide larger
campuses, some schools have even resorted to placing portables on their
ball fields. Covered walkways allow a school to expand to remote areas
of its campus. The covered walkways link the new classrooms to the main
campus while protecting students not only from inclement weather, such
as rain, but also from the deleterious effects of the Florida sun, such
as skin cancer. (Additionally, our company’s proprietary system is
capable of sustaining concentrated loads, severe hailstorms, and
hurricane winds up to 150 miles per hour.)
But, of course, the main benefit is cost. While traditional
brick-and-mortar construction can cost a school $150 or more per square
foot in construction costs, covered pavilions and walkways can be
erected for a small fraction of that cost. Additionally, the
maintenance cost for an aluminum covering consists of just cleaning the
gutters and is much lower than maintenance costs for traditional
construction.
Better yet, the proprietary system that our company has developed can
be demounted and relocated to allow for changing demographics. This
means that if one school needs the covered walkways this year but finds
that its enrollment drops the next, the entire system can be moved and
adapted to another school that may have a new need for the walkways.
This allows a county-wide school system greater flexibility and greater
ease of mind when deciding to make a significant purchase.
For example, Gove Elementary in Belle Glade, Florida, recently
installed a covered walkway system fully knowing that it will be moving
campuses within the next few years, since it understood it would be
able to take most of the system with it and reinstall it in the new
location. This will save the Palm Beach County school millions in
additional construction costs.
The reusability and aluminum construction of the covered walkways and
pavilions also mean the system is very environmentally friendly. If a
system isn’t going to be reused, the aluminum pieces can be recycled
for reuse. Additionally, the structures are architecturally pleasing
and can be customized to match any style or color scheme.
Given the need for financially and environmentally responsible
solutions for increased classroom and campus space, covered walkways
and pavilions offer the perfect answer.
About the Author
Annie Walker is president of Aluminum Solutions Group (ASG), a leader
in affordable, attractive covered walkways and pavilions. ASG has
supplied and installed these aluminum systems for school boards and
private owners. ASG provides a total turnkey operation from the
original design charrette to the final inspection.
For more information
please call 561-999-9932 or click on the link here for Contact Information.
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