APS Tony Hillerman Middle School

APS Tony Hillerman Middle School | BlueCross BlueShield | BSA Hospital | Chief Manuelito Middle School | DETR | Jefferson Green

The APS New Middle School had significant structural challenges due to the client and architectural requirements of the building envelope. Two of the most challenging requirements were meeting LEED requirements for the amount of natural light in the classroom wings and utilizing a combination of braced frames and intermediate shear walls. Eight inch load bearing masonry walls were used as the primary lateral system in the classroom wings. The extent of window openings required a high level of coordination with the architects to ensure adequate structural elements were in place to resist the various loading demands. To meet the lateral demand in the administrative areas, the loads were dragged into the 6th and 7th grade masonry classroom wings with unique collector elements, along with braced frames where adjacent walls were not available. The gymnasium and cafeteria areas utilized the same concept as the academic wing with concentric braced frames and masonry shear walls.

Location: Albuquerque, NM
Size: 172,000sf