LEED Gold!

Recently, the Niles North Aquatics Center was awarded LEED for Schools Gold certification by the US Green Building Council.  The project earned a total of 67 points, which is 7 more points than is required for Gold certification. The Niles North Aquatics Center has become the first facility of its kind in the country to achieve LEED for Schools Gold. For more information, please click HERE.

Award of Merit

The Niles North High School Aquatics Center was one of three projects to receive an Award of Merit in the 2013 Exhibition ofEducational Environments, a competition sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), and Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO). The award applauds excellence in educational environment design, energy efficiency, and safety.


“It feels great to know that our school district continues to lead the state and nation when it comes to building sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and energy-efficient facilities,” said Ryan McTague, Niles North principal. “We are very proud of the example our school is setting for educational institutions and communities throughout our nation.”

The project was on display at the conference, one of the nation’s largest state education conferences. Among its 9,000 attendees were school board members, superintendents, administrators, state and regional educators and officials, and university staff. 

Representatives from Niles Township High SchoolDistrict 219 and Legat Architects accepted the award Friday at the IASB/IASA/IASBO 2013 Joint Annual Conference.

Grand Opening Goes Swimmingly

The formal Grand Opening for the Niles North Aquatics Center took place Friday morning, followed by a Community Open House on Saturday.  For more information on the event, please click HERE.



The Open House offered the Community a chance to observe a Girls Swimming and Diving Practice

Community Open House

The public is invited to the Community Open House for the Niles North High School Aquatics Center held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 19 at 9800 Lawler, Skokie. Tour the state-of-the-art facilities, watch the Niles North swimmers/divers in action, and learn about community swim lessons and other opportunities

Almost Open...

The Niles North Aquatics Center is slated to become the first LEED for Schools Gold certified aquatics facility in Illinois. The design reduces energy use by 44% compared to a standard code-compliant building of similar size, resulting in annual energy savings of 31.5%.  The Grand Opening of the Facility is slated for October, but you can see images of the completed facility HERE.

 

View looking NE at the SW corner of the Aquatics Center

Bubbler Arrives

The new bubbler system (also called sparging system), designed by Pulsair Systems has recently been installed below the 3m and one of the 1m diving boards in the new Aquatics Center.

 But what exactly is a bubbler system? It’s a way to reduce the surface tension of the water to provide a softer landing for the diver’s during training. The system injects compressed air from a tank (below) into long diffusers (left) at the bottom of the pool.  Air bubbles rise and aerate the water surface to create a soft cushion of air and water for the diver. 

The system allows divers to try new and more complex dives without a fear of landing incorrectly. Coaches can use a remote control to adjust the system as they move around the pool.
Thanks to Pulsair Systems for the photos

In the Home Stretch

Well, we are less than a month away and there is a lot going on at the Niles North Aquatics Center.  The exterior metal panel installation is close to completion and site work is well underway to provide a new sidewalk and access road along the south end of the addition.

 

View of the Southeast corner of the Aquatics Center



View of the Southwest corner of the Aquatics Center

 

 There is even more activity taking place on the interior as finish materials (textured wall panels, ceramic tile, glass guardrails, etc) continue to be installed and the existing pool has even begun to be filled.  The new pool should be filled by the end of the month and then the focus will turn to the testing and balancing of the mechanical units and pool filtration equipment.



View of Entry Corridor Concessions and Display Case



View looking East at New Pool - Glass Guardrail, Bleachers and Starting Blocks are now in place



View of 1m and 3m Diving Platforms

View of Existing Pool - Pool should be completely filled today or tomorrow