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The 126,000 square foot high school was designed to reflect the local vernacular buildings in the Wellsboro community.
(left to right) Vern McKissick, principle of McKissick Associates; Carl Kanaskie, project architect; and Kristen McKissick who provided interior design consultation.
Vern McKissick, who has designed and built more than 50 school buildings, comments on returning to his alma mater to design a new state-of-the-art facility for the community.
United States Congressman John Peterson congratulates the Wellsboro School Board on the state's first all "green" high school.
Dedication ceremony attendees gather in the three-story student commons area before taking a self-guided tour.
Concrete floors are glazed in a variety of natural shades that coordinate with other interior design elements.
McKissick Associates is a family-owned firm providing architectural and design services with specialization in educational facility design & planning, historic preservation and sustainable "green" design.
McKissick Associates
Simonton Mansion
317 North Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
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tel: (717) 238-6810
fax: (717) 238-6830
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Paula Mann, Marketing Coordinator
pmann@mckissickassociates.com
McKissick Associates
Piedmont Leaf Lofts
401 East 4th Street, Suite 203
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
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tel: (336) 722-6152
fax: (336) 722-6192
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David Watkins, Office Manager
dwatkins@mckissickassociates.com
Wellsboro Area High School, located in the scenic Tioga County town of Wellsboro, has the distinction of being the first all "green" high school built in the Commonwealth. Designed by McKissick Associates, Wellsboro High School follows the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines for "green" buildings.
Speaking to a crowd of several hundred in the soaring, glass-enclosed student commons during the recent dedication ceremony, Vern L. McKissick, III commented on the challenge of creating a school which conforms to the demanding LEED requirements. "It is a tribute to the vision of the Wellsboro School Board when you see the final product. The school uses ground-source heat pumps, sustainably harvested wood siding and roof decking over a steel superstructure sourced from Pennsylvania. High recycled content products are used throughout, and low- or no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)," said the architect - and graduate of Wellsboro High School.
The dedication ceremony was led by Dr. Donna L. Mettler, Wellsboro Superintendent of Schools, and included addresses by Mr. McKissick, project architect Carl Kanaskie and United States Congressman John Peterson. McKissick and Kanaskie previously collaborated on another Wellsboro project, the Charlotte Lappla Early Childhood Center that was selected in 2003 by American School and University magazine as the top educational renovation and addition in the United States.
Interior details are a combination of "green" elements that provide continuity through the flowing, three-level structure. Industrial elements, such as exposed ductwork and piping are painted with muted hues to avoid disrupting the earth tones that predominate. Concrete floors are glazed in a variety of natural shades that coordinate with the carpeted portions. In his address, McKissick credited his wife, and business partner, Kristen with the interior design of the school. "This whole project has allowed me to return 'home' - in a manner of speaking," said McKissick. "I attended first grade at the Charlotte Lappla building and graduated from high school in the old building. Being able to renovate the one, and to oversee the design of the successor of the other has been a dream come true."
In an area known for its natural rural beauty - Wellsboro is the home of the popular scenic attraction, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon - the new, "green" high school will attract not only students in the fall of 2005, but should attract the attention of architects and environmental designers worldwide.
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