Multipurpose Room, Incorporated
By: David Evans
Before the bell rings, where do the early-arriving kids go? What do you do if you have gym class at 10 a.m., then lunch, and then a music program at 7 p.m., all in the same space? Are you looking for ways to involve the parents of students in community events at school? If you’re asking these questions and others, then it’s time to consider a well-designed multipurpose room.
No matter what you call them—multipurpose buildings, gymnasiums, or activity centers—these increasingly popular flexible spaces are as likely to be found on a small private school campus as on a collegiate campus. Schools of all sizes are finding them a less expensive and more versatile alternative to traditional dedicated space.
So, what’s behind the rising popularity of this building type?
“It’s all about their economy and versatility,” states Skyler Phelps, vice president of Mantel Teter Architects in Kansas City, Missouri.
Phelps claims that many schools, including Christian schools, are using a multipurpose facility as a flexible space tool. This means the school can accommodate several functions in one space instead of building several spaces. This approach allows schools to spend less money on dedicated spaces and maximize the utilization of built space.
What Is This Multipurpose Room?
Simply put, it’s a room that must be all things to all people that use it for all types of activities. That shouldn’t be too difficult!
Since the space will likely need to accommodate recreation and physical education classes, a higher ceiling should be considered. Regulation-sized gymnasiums need at least 22 to 24 feet of clear height for a ceiling. This allows for activities, such as basketball and volleyball, to be played. Ceilings are higher to accommodate other needs such as staging, clean sightlines, and dramatic or musical presentations.
In a traditional theatre space, you can’t remove the theater seats to set up a basketball court or set up tables for a lunchroom, but the usual limits don’t apply to multipurpose facilities. This type of space can quickly be transformed from recreational to educational space by hiding sports equipment and setting up chairs and tables. Such flexibility enables schools to accomplish several daily events while reducing the need for additional building space and cost.
Of course, not all multipurpose buildings are intended to be used as a gym. Even without a higher ceiling, these buildings can be used for a variety of events, such as receptions, seminars, and even a performance space for a community event.
Flexibility of Space
Since private Christian schools’ needs often outweigh their budgets, creativity is a must. Classroom spaces are designed to become much larger and are often able to be subdivided using operable partitions that glide in a track system suspended from the ceiling. They offer excellent acoustics with seals at the floor and ceiling and can withstand much abuse. While these dividers are a trendier, more expensive option than metal studs or drywall, they provide maximum flexibility of space.
But it doesn’t stop in the classroom; the gymnasium space has become more flexible as well. Some schools use moveable chairs for performance venues, and platforms are made to be extremely flexible with minimal fixed-in-place items. Many of these spaces facilitate performance, cafeteria dining, and recreation all under one roof and in the same space.
Phelps states, “Multipurpose facilities have significant challenges in the areas of acoustics and lighting. It’s extremely difficult to balance the acoustics in any large open space, especially one with four parallel walls!”
Phelps says that his firm always recommends to their clients to seek professional design assistance from an acoustical consultant. Often, sound problems can be treated with acoustical tiles or sound-absorbing panels, but these solutions should be designed during the initial design stages with the architect and not as a “fix” after the facility is built.
There are also lighting challenges. For a recreation area, the preferred lighting might include high-intensity fixtures, which are very bright. However, the same space may be used for multimedia presentations, which requires darkness or at least control over lighting. If the space is also used as a cafeteria, then a softer, more incandescent light may be preferred. This will help those mashed potatoes not look so green! Dimming features are generally desired to enhance the flexibility of the space for lighting.
Keep in mind though, the space is still a gym, so all these items must be impact and ball resistant to the abuse that will occur through recreational use. Unbreakable protective covers for exit lights, thermostats, and specialty light fixtures will be just a few of the items needing protection.
The ceiling area is another sensitive place needing protection. If ceiling tiles and a grid are used, make sure the tiles are impact and abuse resistant. They should also be installed with hold-down clips to get them from popping out of the grid when struck by a ball, or, even worse, kids’ horseplay.
Room with Purpose
School buildings are used hard and used every day of the week when school is in session. Multipurpose space can be extremely useful for those spaces that get used only once a day, like a cafeteria or a performance space. This type of space, if creatively designed, may offer some of the most significant space in which to have activities and save money. The multipurpose room can be viewed as a community center of sorts. It accommodates so many user groups, including many groups outside the school.
Four areas of benefit to this type of building are:
* Economy: minimum cost for maximum space
* Utilization: the space can be used all week for many different activities
* Flexibility: different functions can happen in this one space, possibly with minimal set-up effort
* Relationship building: the facility can be used for community events. The only thing a multipurpose building can't offer is traditional look. The multipurpose facility will have a different look, depending upon its use at that time.
“The letters and phone calls to our office from our clients tell us that the flexibility of this type of building lends itself to so many activities that it’s not unusual for the building to be reserved by various groups far in advance, both from within the school and outside the school population,” says Phelps.
For private Christian schools, this is the type of space they need to envision when they build a multipurpose facility; their aim is to create cost-effective space that’s used often by both students/faculty and the community.
David Evans, AIA, is the president of Mantel Teter Architects. Founded in 1961, this Kansas City, Missouri-based firm is an architectural and planning firm with a dedicated staff of professionals, providing service to churches & private Christian schools across the country, www.mantelteter.com.
Product Roundup
KWIK-WALL
KWIK-WALL is a one-stop solution for cost-effective and flexible space management, providing quality operable wall systems to schools. KWIK-WALL manufactures a wide variety of operable wall systems to meet your space requirements, including moveable walls, accordion folding doors, and moveable glass walls. There are six levels of sound control, a wide variety of accessory options, and vinyl, carpet, or wood finishes.
www.kwik-wall.com
EventXpress by Palmer Snyder
The Palmer Snyder EventXpress C700 padded-seat folding chair features an elegant fanback feature, has a wider seat base for added comfort and a vinyl-covered padded seat cushion, and is double-hinged for added strength. Quick to set up, comfortable and attractive, this is truly the all-occasion chair. It is available in white vinyl seat with white frame and feet or black vinyl seat with chrome finish and black feet. It is the ultimate choice for multi-purpose seating.
www.palmersnyder.com
Commercialite from McCourt
At roughly half the cost of traditional plastic folding tables, the Commercialite Folding Table is one of the strongest, lightest, most affordable indoor/outdoor folding tables on the market. Blow Mold technology allows McCourt to produce polyethylene plastic tops to resist heat, stains, chemicals, and physical damage. Their U.S. Steel frame with wishbone folding leg system bolts through the table top, not just into it, allowing the Commercialite to support more than 3,500 pounds.
www.mccourtmfg.com
Royal Super Shell Stack Chair
Blick Art Materials has introduced the Royal Super Shell Stack Chair, a premium-grade, heavy-duty chair that is perfect for situations where space is at a premium. It features a polypropylene shell, strong chrome frame, anti-slide support and a back vent for added strength and comfort. Concealed rivets won’t snag clothing, and a front waterfall lip offers thigh support. Stack up to 12 chairs for compact storage. Choose from Blue, Burgundy, or Navy.
www.DickBlick.com
Southern Aluminum’s Alulite Table
Constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum, Southern Aluminum’s Alulite table will not crack, rust or warp after extended usage or exposure to heat, moisture, or sunlight. With an average weight of only 35 pounds, the Alulite table is easy to set up and take down multiple times. Alulite Stages and Choral Risers are also constructed of lightweight aluminum, allowing each unit to easily be set up and taken down as well as moved among locations throughout the facilities.
www.southernaluminum.com
Screenflex Portable Dividers
Screenflex offers amazing, versatile room dividers for schools. Screenflex Portable Room Dividers are used by thousands of administrators daily to help make their facility work harder for them. Contact the company for complete information, including a list of happy customers near you.
www.screenflex.com
