Pinole Valley High School Fire Protection

The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) received approval for the $120 million New Campus of Pinole Valley High School in 2010. The project was awarded to WLC Architects in Berkeley who have completed a host of projects for the WCCUSD.

WLC Architects rendering of the new campus for Pinole Valley High School

WLC asked 15000 Inc. to partner with them for the fire protection portion of the project. The 260,000 square foot project includes 5 buildings; presenting some serious challenges for the fire protection design.

Since 2010 the California Division of the Sate Architect (DSA) has required that detailed fire sprinkler designs be submitted as part of the original permit. Deferred approvals are no longer allowed.

The DSA requirements include the need for coordinated sprinkler head layouts, building sections, complete hydraulic calculations and the submittal of all catalogue data on materials and equipment. The requirements entail a very detailed fire set of fire sprinkler contract documents.

15000 Inc. fire protection engineers worked closely with WLC Architects to produce a coordinated fire protection system design that minimized the impact on the architectural features.

The completed WLC Architect’s design is a masterful blend of modern architecture and student-directed functionality.

The project is working its way through the DSA approval process at this time and will be open for the 2018 school year.