American School for the Deaf

The American School for the Deaf was the first permanent school of its kind in the United States and today remains a leader in providing comprehensive educational programming for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Kohler Ronan is pleased to have designed Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, IT & Security systems for the multi-faceted, innovative institution and its brand new learning environment which opened in 2013.

Kohler Ronan’s designs incorporated highly-efficient, low-profile engineering systems serving the 60,000 sf facility and over 200 students from K-12 and Birth-to-Three programs, as well as corresponding faculty. Within the bright and inviting spaces are 26 classrooms, science and life-skills labs, occupational, speech and physical therapy spaces, meeting rooms, offices, a library, a health and fitness center, and a cafeteria. Systems include unique sound, lighting strobe and alarm features to meet the specific needs of the building’s occupants. Strict acoustical standards to maintain extremely low nc (sound) levels were adhered to, while a condensing boiler was selected to achieve up to 92% efficiency. Both mechanical and electrical systems will operate in a power outage, and the facility may be used as a shelter.

Photo credit: © Anna Wesolowska/www.photographerhedman.com