The construction of Southside Preparatory Academy represents a landmark achievement in urban public infrastructure as Florida’s first-ever combined 7-story public school and workforce housing facility. Located in the high-density environment of Miami, this progressive project demanded an advanced building envelope strategy capable of isolating academic environments from urban noise, providing expansive natural light to multi-family residential units, and meeting the rigorous structural standards dictated by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system.
To address the divergent architectural needs of both the educational and residential levels, the design team at Zyscovich and general contractor H.A. Contracting deployed a comprehensive, dual-system fenestration strategy from Sol-A-Trol. The multi-story public spaces and residential areas utilize the Sol-A-Trol Series 5000 Impact Window Wall system. This commercial-grade fenestration allows for expansive floor-to-ceiling glass expanses, mimicking a curtain wall appearance while utilizing the slab-to-slab structural advantages of a window wall, optimizing installation efficiency and water management on higher levels.
Complementing the sweeping glass expanses of the Series 5000, the Sol-A-Trol Series 3000 Impact Casement systems were integrated into the design to ensure target ventilation control and versatile operability across individual residential and classroom spaces. Both heavy-duty aluminum systems were fabricated using premium 6063-T6 aluminum alloy frames to provide maximum structural resistance against extreme wind loads. The unified application of these high-performance systems ensures that this pioneering mixed-use facility achieves full High-Velocity Hurricane Zone compliance without restricting architectural versatility or aesthetic impact.
