New elementary in Webster, Mass., boasts energy-saving design

The newly built Park Avenue Elementary School in Webster, Mass., has been designed with environmentally friendly features that officials expect will earn the facility a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The school district held a grand opening ceremony earlier this month for the 109,000-square-foot campus, which is projected to save 41 percent on heating and cooling costs.

Other sustainable features of the new building include high-efficiency and waterless fixtures that are projected to reduce water use by 35 percent, and a design that brings daylight to 90 percent of the building spaces. Classrooms and other learning spaces have optimal acoustics that minimize noise pollution. The roofing material has high-reflecting and high-heat-emissive properties that help reduce cooling costs.

The facility replaces the previous Park Avenue School, which was built in 1960. The new Park Avenue Elementary serves 720 students in prekindergarten through grade 4. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is covering about 77 percent of the construction cost--a maximum grant of $29,579,137.

The builder is CTA Construction, and the architect is Dore & Whittier.

YouTube Video: A fly-by animation of the new Park Avenue Elementary