Trumbull High School Auditorium, Trumbull, Conn.
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: JCJ Architecture, Hartford, Conn.
Materials
To successfully integrate students with the greater public, the new design would need to center on what Greg Smolley, principal of JCJ Architecture, calls “a sense of shared openness.” For inspiration, the firm looked at public school auditoria from pre-war schools. These airy, naturally lit designs led to the architect’s desire for a natural light source—a portal that would let in daylight and allow people to look into and out of the space.
The firm opted for a glazed curtainwall system that would form the building’s exterior, spanning the length of the auditorium and reaching toward the sky. Large spans of glass would allow natural light to enter the hallway in front of the auditorium, pass through a second layer of curtainwall and subtly illuminate the performance area. The opening would also allow performers to draw inspiration from nature and outsiders to watch dancers and performers practice on a regular basis.
JCJ Architecture wanted a curtainwall framing system with thin profiles, a smooth glass-to-frame surface and the ability to support oversized glazed lites. The system also had to blend with the auditorium’s neighboring buildings. The firm chose SteelBuilt SG Curtainwall System, which is strong enough to allow for reduced frame dimensions and greater free spans of glazing. Silicone sealant sealed the building from the elements and transferred wind loads to the supporting steel curtainwall. The aesthetic result is the appearance of smooth and uninterrupted glazed lites, which provide clear lines of sight into and out of the auditorium.
STEELBUILT SG CURTAINWALL SYSTEM MANUFACTURER: Technical Glass Products
The Retrofit
Built in 1971, the school’s lecture hall quickly became the main auditorium and host to drama and dance productions, music events and assemblies. Nearly four decades later, however, the school’s board of education found that time and excessive use had taken their toll on the performance center, leaving it far from show worthy. Broken seats, overused lights and a host of age-related problems plagued the once modern space. The board commissioned JCJ Architecture to not only upgrade, but also transform the lecture hall into a full-fledged performance center suitable for use by the entire town.
“Aesthetics were a main consideration,” Smolley notes. “We wanted a sleek framing system that would blend in with the surface of the glass. With the SteelBuilt system, you can look all the way down the surface of the application without the framing bumping out. That’s important. It really takes viewers’ attention off the framing and allows them to focus on the glass and what’s behind it.”
PHOTO: TECHNICAL GLASS PRODUCTS