Racine Lutheran High School

Exterior of Racine Lutheran High School with an American flag out front, large windows, landscaped shrubs and flower beds, and mature trees along a curved walkway and lawn under a clear sky.

How PDQ Door Hardware Secured Racine Lutheran High School's 50,000-Square-Foot Expansion

Racine Lutheran High School's building had grown old and undersized, and the school was turning away prospective students it didn't have room to enroll. A 50,000+ square-foot renovation and expansion added classrooms, an academic support center, a new gymnasium with expanded locker rooms, and a fitness/weight center. PDQ's MR Series mortise locks, 6300 Series exit devices and trim, and 7100 Series door closers now secure every classroom, common area, exterior door, and fire-rated opening across the addition.

View Case Study PDF

Location

Racine, WI

Architect

Zimmerman Architectural Studios

Distributor

Builders Hardware and Hollow Metal

General Contractor

Builders Hardware and Hollow Metal

Year Built

2022

About the property

Racine Lutheran High School was bursting at the seams. The facility was old and dated, and overcrowding had forced the school to turn away new students. The expansion was designed to change that: more than 50,000 square feet of added and renovated space, including additional classrooms, a new academic support center, a spacious gymnasium with expanded locker rooms, and a new fitness/weight center.

The goal was updated academic space with the technology and tools students need to compete in today's global marketplace, along with better separation between academic and athletic spaces for improved security and safety of students and staff.

The Challenge

A project of this scale meant specifying hardware durable enough for heavy, daily student traffic across classrooms, corridors, and a new athletic wing, while still meeting necessary code requirements on rated openings and exterior doors. Zimmerman Architectural Studios and Catalyst Construction needed a coordinated hardware package that could stand up to that mix of academic and athletic use across an addition this size, sourced in a way that would keep the project on track.

The Solution

Working with distributor Builders Hardware and Hollow Metal, the project team specified a single PDQ hardware package across the entire expansion:

Mortise Lock · Grade 1

MR Series

Installed on classroom and common-area doors throughout the addition.

View MR Series

Exit Device · Grade 1

6300 Series

Installed on exterior doors and fire-rated interior openings, providing code-compliant egress at the addition's highest-traffic points

View 6300 Series

Exit Device Trim · Grade 1

6W Exit Device Trim

Paired with the 6300 Series exit devices on exterior and fire-rated doors

View 6W Exit Device Trims

Door Closer · Extra Heavy Duty

7100 Series

Specified for common-area, utility, and storage room doors, where higher cycle counts and rougher day-to-day use call for PDQ's extra heavy duty closer line.

View 7100 Series

Sourcing the lock, exit device, trim, and closer package from a single distributor and manufacturer gave Catalyst Construction one coordinated hardware standard to install across every classroom, corridor, and athletic space in the addition, rather than reconciling multiple hardware lines room by room.

Related Education projects

Private / Catholic School

Talk To An Expert

PDQ has secured guest rooms, corridors, and back-of-house doors for major hospitality brands for more than 40 years. Tell us about your next extended-stay, full-service, or mixed-use project, and our team will help you spec the right lock, closer, and hardware package for every door on the property.