Project at a Glance

What: Palmer High School, which was built by the Works Projects Administration in 1940, needed new smoke vents installed on the roof.

Where: Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Why: The existing vents, which were installed by WPA workers, were loose, uninsulated and did not have a UL listing. The existing vents were also installed in vertical walls of a pop-up, cast-in-place concrete structure on the roof of the school.

The solution: Architects abandoned the existing vents in place and were sealed and insulated. Workers installed four acoustical smoke vents manufactured by The BILCO Company. Workers removed nearly 4,000 pounds of concrete and cut openings to match the size of the 5 x 7 vents.

Did you know? The WPA constructed 113 schools in Colorado and improved or reconstructed 381 others. The WPA served in Colorado from 1935-1942, with a peak employment of 43,200 by 1937.

Thomas Renner writes on architecture, construction, engineering and other trade industry topics for publications in the United States and Canada.

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