Panther Lake Construction - A Sneak Peek

Walk through the new Panther Lake Elementary on a sunny day - or even on a typically grey Northwest day - and you’ll see an abundance of something that experts say helps kids learn: natural light.  From multiple small windows in exterior classroom walls to soft light filtering down to the interior walls of classrooms and corridors – Panther Lake’s rooms are aglow with the Vitamin D-enriched brain booster.

Panther Lake, like Valhalla Elementary cross-district, is an “ah-inspiring” example of the next phase of school construction in Federal Way. The school diagram below shows photos from a recent tour led by Green Gasaway Architect’s Project Manager Kate Baumann. To follow a tour from the entrance, float your cursor over the circled 1 first, then follow along from there, or view the full sized images in the photo gallery to the right.

What’s Happening Now

The Panther Lake site is bustling with activity as the construction company, Steilacoom’s BNCC, moves full ahead to ensure that the 44,000-square-foot building is ready for students by the Sept. 2 start date.  Wiring is being pulled, and other mechanical systems are being finished.

Panther Lake is an exciting example of the district’s new schools. Not all of what makes it new and better are as apparent as the inclusion of natural light. But children and staff in the school will enjoy many aspects of the building’s features:

• Two high-efficiency boilers will heat water that will then be circulated through pipes in the floor, keeping everyone warm from the bottom up.
• Unlike many new buildings, paint fumes and new carpet smell won’t be present. Low VOC paint will be used and the rooms will air out for 2 weeks prior to occupancy.
• The school will not be carpeted, a requirement of the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol, which encourages schools to create a healthy environment both inside and out. Each classroom will have four six-by-six foot carpet squares to use in the room as the teacher chooses.
• Classrooms measuring 900 square feet will give teachers a comfortable space to provide multiple learning centers, such as a reading corner, in the room.
• Clusters of classrooms will allow staff to collaborate more readily.
• Bathroom facilities will be easier to reach than in the old building.
• Located a bit further from the main road than the old building, with better insulation and a cluster floor plan, the school will be both quieter and more secure than before.
• Water stains in ceiling tiles will no longer exist: The asphalt composite roof will be sealed by a membrane layer to prevent any water leakage.
• From the outside, the colorful exterior of the school will brighten the neighborhood for library patrons and other neighbors, as it will for our students.

In June, casework, or cabinetry, should be arriving for installation, as are toilets.  Permanent power will be flowing early this month; waterlines were in and hooked up in May.