Emerald High School welcomed the Class of 2027 to its new comprehensive campus set on more than 23 acres in Dublin, Calif. PBK Architects designed the 18,301-m2 (197,000-sf) school to accommodate up to 2,500 students in grades 9-12 for the fast-growing Dublin Unified School District. Offering shade and shelter, PBK specified Rockfon metal ceilings to provide a protective, durable covering in the West Coast sunshine.
Emerald High School’s buildings feature overlapping visual and physical layers to scale their mass to an approachable, inviting, and inclusive campus. The upper window bays and canopies project over the ground level, walkways, and entrances. Across the campus buildings’ exteriors, Bassett Construction installed more than 846 m2 (9,100 sf) Rockfon Planar linear metal ceiling panels, which were supplied by Westside Building Material.
The metal panels are finished in a Winchester Grey color that blends with the neutral exterior palette and presents an intentionally subtle tone to contrast with the vibrant green, dark blue, and silver school colors. Along with the new identifying colors, a dragon-like “Aeronuant” mascot welcomes students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the school campus, reflecting the Irish heritage of the community and its growing Asian population.
According to the Dublin Unified School District, this is the first new comprehensive high school in Alameda County in more than 50 years and was built to last into the next century. With a 92 percent increase in its student population between 2010 and 2020, Emerald High School alleviates the crowded Dublin High School, allowing additional capacity within a new facility designed for 21st-century learning.
Working with the school district, PBK “embarked on a planning process that engaged multiple stakeholders in designing the new 21st-century high school that will provide a state-of-the-art facility to enhance the educational needs of the students and be a source of pride for the community. The new high school will include innovative, adaptable, programmatic elements that support the process of learning. Facilities will accommodate the needs of 21st-century students with collaborative learning experiences supported with flexible and innovative spaces for today and for the future.”
Rockfon metal ceiling products can also be specified with up to 100 percent recycled content and are 100 percent locally recyclable at the end of their useful life as ceiling panels. Contributing to Emerald High School’s operational success, the durable metal minimizes cleaning and maintenance, helping Dublin Unified School District save labor, time, and costs over a long lifespan.
Owner: Dublin Unified School District, Dublin, Calif., dublin.k12.ca.us
Architect: PBK Architects (merged with SIM Architects), Fresno, Calif., pbk.com/location/fresno
General contractor: BHM Construction, Napa, Calif., bhmconstruction.com
Exterior soffit installing contractor: Bassett Construction, Vancouver, Wash., bassettusa.com
Ceiling – distributor: Westside Building Material, Oakland, Calif., westsidebmc.com/s/content/oakland
Ceiling – manufacturer: Rockfon, Chicago, rockfon.com
