There’s something brilliant happening at Broken Arrow Public Schools.
The district serves more than 19,000 students in the urban-suburban community of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. As a result of increased enrollments, a new elementary school was conceived called Rosewood Elementry. Serving Kindergarten through 5th, this campus encompasses 92,000 square feet and is situated on a 40-acre site.
But creativity and out-of-the-box thinking are most notable at this groundbreaking facility, as a major focal point is a multi-purpose structure built to ICC 500 code. The 6,580-square-foot shelter serves the school and community as a haven during high-wind events and acts as a large multi-purpose space for the campus.
However, one challenge was finding a way to bring natural light into the structure without the expensive installation of specialized, protective windows.
And natural lighting was a priority for a good reason. Studies conducted by the Heschong Mahone and the University of Oregon have shown that natural daylight, when incorporated into learning spaces, can help increase test scores between 20% to 26%, improve cognitive skills, visibility and mood, increase a child’s engagement in school by reducing missed days.
The solution for this shelter was Solatube Tubular Devices. These devices consist of a specialized optical dome that catches light from the roof and reflects it down a tube and into the room. And they are the perfect solution for windowless shelters.
To properly daylight the space, the project used six Solatube SolaMaster 750DS-O units, and the structure now serves as a multi-purpose building capable of providing haven during emergencies as well as PE class for students during the day.
All the while, students will benefit from healthy, natural light, provided through state-of-the-art, tubular daylight devices similar to Carolina Skylights.
