Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas
Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, Texas, is a state-operated primary and secondary school for deaf children to help them learn, grow and belong. The oldest public school in Texas that has been continually in operation, Texas School for the Deaf's goal is for every child across the state of Texas who is deaf or hard of hearing to receive educational services that meet his or her unique needs. With that goal in mind, the TSD facility supports specialized educational programs, teaching strategies and essential resources in five key areas that enhance learning opportunities and promote educational excellence for these children, while providing needed support to their families and the professionals who serve them.
The school opened in 1857 with just an old farmhouse, three log cabins and a smokehouse. In the 1960s, an east campus was built. In the late 1980s, plans began to consolidate TSD's two campuses into 458,000 square feet of new construction. One reason for the $65 million-dollar appropriation by the state Legislature was a sense that the School for the Deaf facilities were both outdated and inefficient. Another reason was the hope that consolidating the campuses would save money - one campus would need one health center instead of two, one security department, one maintenance department and one cafeteria. One hundred and sixty-three years after opening, the campus now has 11 buildings on site, a football field, running track and over 550 students.
Map of Texas School for the Deaf campus
In 2015, over 15 years after the new campus was built, several buildings were experiencing water intrusion. Chamberlin kicked off a four-year project to rectify the water intrusion and re-roof different sections of the campus.
Chamberlin's scope included modified bitumen roofing, prefinished metal panels., cementitious and reactive waterproofing, through-wall flashing, joint sealants and expansion control. Chamberlin's attention to detail on Seeger Gym and Clinger Gym and expertise gained from decades of roofing and waterproofing experience helped them deliver high-quality installations for this school campus. The Texas School for the Deaf revitalization was completed on schedule with zero safety incidents.
The project stakeholders were very pleased with the final outcome of the project and the hard work and dedication Chamberlin put into the job. Subsequently, Chamberlin was requested for two additional projects at TSD. Working under general contractor Flintco, Chamberlin is revitalizing roofs on Koen Hall, Lewis Hall and the Residential Cottages, all used for student housing. Chamberlin is removing and reinstalling copper panels on Koen Hall and Lewis Hall. Chamberlin's scope on the Residential Cottages includes the removal of gravel and BUR roofing and the reinstallation of SBS modified bitumen roofing, wood blocking, sheet metal and flashing, gutters and downspouts.