Toledo rebuilds 50+ public schools with daylight, views
Building for Success project is the largest in city history

Small, dark classrooms across Toledo are making way for larger learning spaces filled with natural light, thanks in part to window products manufactured by Wausau Window and Wall Systems.

Like many districts throughout the country, the staff at Toledo Public Schools (TPS) struggled with teaching modern skills from outdated buildings. Dark, narrow hallways and lack of accessibility contributed to less than ideal learning environments for many of TPS’ 27,000 students. All that is changing, as TPS rebuilds or renovates more than 50 schools. Known as “Building for Success,” the $822-million program is the single largest building project in city history.

In addition to creating flexible, safe, secure, and durable facilities for current students and staff, energy efficiency was also important to the district. TPS’ superintendent John Foley elaborates, “Energy-efficient windows are a staple in the construction of our new schools. The strict standards established by the Ohio School Facilities Commission require the use of energy-efficient windows, especially as we work toward achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification on our new buildings. The windows in our new schools not only provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students, but the energy-efficient design of the windows saves the district money and energy.”

The need for a combination of energy-efficiency, durability, flexibility and value led Wausau’s regional sales manager Dave DeBettignies and local sales representative Michael Augustine to recommend windows from the Advantage by Wausau product offering. “With the tight timelines, strict budgets, energy goals, and the large number of windows needed for the facilities involved, we knew that the high-performance, standard products offered through Advantage by Wausau would be a perfect value for many of TPS’ new buildings,” says Augustine.

Walt Erickson, vice president and estimator at Toledo-based glazing contractor Interstate Commercial Glass & Door, Inc., agrees. “Wausau has been very competitive in their pricing and their lead time. But to me, the number one priority is that Wausau’s quality is top-notch. Their Advantage program takes basic products with top-of-line quality like the 3250 Series windows and offers them with nice lead times and at competitive prices. It’s really been helpful to have speed, cost and quality. You don’t usually get all three.”

Download a PDF of the full success story on TPS’ school projects by clicking here and see Wausau’s online Project Gallery for more examples of K-12 construction and renovation.

Filed under: AAMA, CLIENT NEWS, Green Goals, Linetec, Wausau Window and Wall Systems