The PEP Center (Personal Enrichment Program) is a special opportunity for gifted and talented 4th and 5th grade students to spend one day each week "out of the box" of their standard classroom.

The old central receiving area (originally a gymnasium, stage, and locker rooms for an elementary school) was targeted as the permanent home for this special program. Since it had not housed students for over 15 years, and needed to be separated from the other portions of the Administration Building, several code issues needed to be addressed.

Structural reinforcement, window replacement, additional openings for egress, new HVAC system, fire alarm, and technology were all required to bring this space "up to code." Along with a complete demolition of the floor slab and new sanitary sewer piping, the original locker room area is subdivided for entry, coats, storage, toilet rooms, and a smaller common "gathering" area for either class to carry on quieter discussions.

The solution uses the main gymnasium for several "rooms" housing the 4th grade classroom, computer room, common work room with VCT floor and butcher block art tables, and the teachers' "office" spaces. The 5th grade classroom is located on the expanded stage, and since that area is 42 inches above the main floor, a circulation corridor / ramp was used to avoid the cost of a barrier free lift. These "rooms" are separated with a village of playful steel stud and gypsum board gable roof forms, and acoustical panels are arranged on perimeter walls to reflect those gable shapes.

Budget
$ 240,000

Size
4,000 s.f.

Owner
Portage Public Schools

Consultants

Mechanical/Electrical
Engineering Plus, Inc.
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Structural
Stuart Eddy, P.E.
Portage, Michigan