Green Field Notes
Nov 1, 2009 12:00 PM
Sustainable-design principles put into action in today's education institutions.
Pioneer Middle School — DuPont, Wash.
Architect: DLR Group
When planning this facility, what considerations were given to green products and processes?
The architect led six design workshops, including an eco-charrette, to develop design goals and an integrated sustainable-design program. The project team also collaborated with educators over a span of eight months to develop specific means to incorporate the building as a tool in the educational experience. As a result of significant conservation measures, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington awarded the district a $350,000 grant to be a volunteer project for the Washington State Sustainable Schools Protocol.
What are some unique green aspects of the facility?
The new building enables students to make an immediate connection to a specific lesson. Outdoor learning courtyards adjacent to the classrooms enable students to monitor plant growth and rainfall, and explore composting concepts.
Interior and exterior signage demonstrates how the design reduced its environmental impact and how users can incorporate sustainable practices.
The building is positioned on its site to preserve and highlight Washington's oldest grove of Garry Oaks and their surrounding savannah. These unique and protected trees inspired the design of the library, which hovers above the commons like a treehouse.
What was the community response to the project being environmentally responsible?
A comprehensive energy-management system monitors and controls resource consumption, and a touchscreen at the community entrance enables community members to examine seasonal effects and their own conservation efforts, as well as monitor the building's energy usage and resource consumption.
- Return to the 2009 Architectural Portfolio's Green Field Notes main page to view more projects where sustainable-design principles were used in today's educational institutions.
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