Over the past 20 years or so, green and sustainable construction has evolved from what many called a fringe movement to one that has definitely achieved mainstream status. Reducing energy and water usage remains the top environmental issue driving all types of construction—including school projects

Now, we are hearing much more about net-zero energy construction. Exactly, what is this and how does it differ from green and sustainable construction?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, follows a widely accepted definition of green building—the planning, design, construction and operations of buildings and spaces with a focus on the following considerations—water and energy use, indoor environmental quality, material selection, and the building’s effects on its site.

By this definition, designing, constructing and operating buildings for energy efficiency is integral to green building. Similarly, net-zero energy or net-positive energy design and construction strategies are often incorporated into green building projects. A net-zero energy building is generally defined as a building that produces at least as much energy as it uses.

“Green building starts with the understanding that buildings have profound impacts on the natural environment, as well as the people who interact with them every day,” said Anisa Heming, director for the Center for Green Schools at USGBC.

“LEED offers projects a sustainable approach to construction because it considers the building’s future impacts on the planet and on people.”

LEED, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement, provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. According to USGBC, there are more than 2,300 LEED-certified schools globally, and another 2,200 that have started the process.

Perkins and Will is a global architecture firm with offices across the U.S. and international locations, including Dubai and London. Formed in 1935, the company has designed many education projects.

“Energy efficient construction can mean a lot of different things, depending on the building or the system being designed,” explained Alison Binford, senior project manager, associate at the Austin studio of Perkins and Will.

“It generally includes reducing energy consumption and minimizing reliance on the electrical grid or fossil fuels. This can be achieved through building orientation to minimize heat gain, use of efficient HVAC equipment, providing or tying into renewable energy sources (wind turbines, solar panels), and technologically advanced building system controls, amongst many other things.”

Angela Whitaker-Williams, Austin practice leader, principal at Perkins and Will said that a true energy-efficient building goes well beyond efficient air conditioning systems.

“The design approach must consider energy savings in every aspect of the building—from the way the users arrive (access to mass transit), to systems that increase or decrease energy use (lighting, HVAC, insulation), to the resources used in the building (water, lighting, consumables), and to the durability of building materials. Thinking holistically about energy reduction goes down to considering the embodied energy of how building materials are manufactured and transported. Thinking about all levels of energy required to make and use a building gives us as designers opportunities to make decisions to reduce overall energy use.”

Over the past number of years, Perkins and Will has seen a significant growth in the number of school clients focusing on energy consumption of their buildings.

“According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electric lighting in buildings consume, approximately 15% of all energy generated in the United States,” said Whitaker-Williams. “We can reduce that energy usage on artificial lighting by designing with daylighting strategies.”

This study also found that at the student level, daylighting improves student performance by an estimated 20% in math and 26% in reading. Daylight enhances health by enhancing vitamin D, mental performance, and awareness of circadian rhythms.

“In designing for daylighting, there is a careful balance of letting in the light without increasing the solar heat load on the air conditioning system,” continued Whitaker-Williams. “We use a balance of expanses of high-performance glass and shading devices”

Additionally, she said at the school district level, energy efficient building design can make excellent use of taxpayer investment as it stretches limited maintenance and operational funds. Many schools have a lifespan of 50-plus years, so designing to save 10% to 15% of the energy bills can add up to substantial savings.

At the global level, energy-efficient design limits damage to the ecosystem, reduces greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and global warming.

One project Perkins and Will is especially proud of is the Eastside Early College High School and International High School project in Austin, Texas. With a major focus on energy-efficient design, the school is a STEM early college program focused on health, fitness and environmental science.

“Our early goals on the project was to reduce energy and use the building as a learning tool for students to easily see and understand the strategies such as looking at the variability of shading forms based on solar orientation,” explained Whitaker-Williams.

“We used the Energy Performance Calculator based on ISO Standard 13790, which is a normative tool developed by the High-Performance Buildings Laboratory of the Georgia Institute of Technology. This drove our design decisions from exterior building forms, fenestrations, daylighting, glare and building systems selections.”

For the $80-million Eastside School project, Perkins and Will team conducted computer modelling studies early in the design process to determine the most efficient strategy for building elements.

“The large overhangs at the perimeter glass were designed as a direct result of the envelope parametric analysis, which informed the exact dimensions that would maximize the shading of the glass, reducing the heat-gain, while still optimizing daylight and views for the interior spaces. This computer modeling, in addition to full energy modeling, drove the design and reduced costs for our air conditioning, as well as lighting systems,” said Binford.

Matt Wolkow is vice president of operations and engineering at Schneider Electric, which has locations throughout the United States. Schneider Electric implements capital recovery and reinvestment projects to help K12 school districts and other public entities modernize facilities, drive sustainability efforts and reduce energy consumption to achieve their vision. The company develops connected technologies and solutions to manage energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable.

“Schools are facing shrinking budgets, rising public interest in sustainability, and limited resources for making energy saving investments,” explained Wolkow.

“We’ve worked with schools across the country that have been struggling with deferred maintenance and limited maintenance staffs to modernize their infrastructures for a lower cost through energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs)—a financial model that has been growing rapidly in popularity. It is a contracting vehicle that helps schools fund overall infrastructure improvement plans by capturing energy savings and, therefore, energy efficiency.”

Over the past 25 years, Schneider Electric has implemented more than 750 ESPC projects across the nation, saving clients nearly $2.5 billion.

Editor’s note: This story is an abridged version of a feature that appeared in the July/August issue of School Construction News.

The post Sustainability Benefits of Energy-Efficient Construction appeared first on School Construction News.

MANITOBA, Canada — Over the past two years, the Government of Manitoba has committed to investing more than $200 million for the construction of seven new schools, along with the modernizations of existing schools across the province.

The new schools include five elementary schools and two high schools, creating a total capacity for 4,425 students and 540 childcare spaces.

One of the projects is a new kindergarten to Grade 5 school in the community of Seven Oaks in Winnipeg.

The new school will be located on Templeton Avenue and is expected to accommodate 450 students with the capacity to expand to 600 in the future.

Spanning 56,423-square-feet, the facility will include 15 classrooms and kindergarten rooms; a music room; a science, technology, electronics and math (STEM) lab; a library and gymnasium; a child care center for 20 infants and 54 preschool children; and a flexible child-care space to accommodate 30 additional spaces.

The energy efficient building is aiming for LEED Silver rating with Manitoba Hydro Power Smart components and enhanced indoor air quality.

Originally, the province had explored the feasibility of building new schools using a public-private partnership model. However, an independent study revealed savings of nearly $18 million using a conventional procurement approach.

The Seven Oaks school project has a target opening date of September 2020.

The post More Than $200 Million Committed for Manitoba Schools appeared first on School Construction News.

URBANA, Ill. — The Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ Natural History Building has earned LEED Gold certification for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly construction practices in the wake of a recent $79 million renovation.

Originally built in 1892, the Natural History Building reopened in 2017 after a three-year renovation to modernize and add classrooms, laboratories, and study spaces and enhance teaching, research, and collaboration environments. From the beginning of the project, campus officials directed a significant amount of planning and design efforts toward a goal of attaining gold certification, thereby creating healthier and more sustainable spaces to benefit students, faculty, and staff.

The Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Natural History Building renovation received high merits for being conducted in an environmentally efficient manner, with close attention paid to preventing pollution. More than 76 percent of the construction waste was recycled. A large amount of the material removed from the building was reused.

Rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo flooring, were used in the renovation project. The Natural History Building also received points for water efficient landscaping, energy efficient heating and air conditioning, high levels of daylight for natural lighting, occupancy sensors, and continual energy monitoring.

“Energy efficiency was one of our primary concerns in renovating the Natural History Building,” said Feng Sheng Hu, the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of LAS. “We are pleased that the U.S. Green Building Council granted us gold certification. In every step of the process, we modernized and expanded the capabilities of this critical building in a sustainable manner.”

The renovation significantly improved water efficiency at the Natural History Building. The building was able to reduce its water usage by at least 20 percent, which is significant given the large number of laboratories and high student traffic in the building. The project also received high marks for using an existing site, having great access to public transportation, and incorporating bicycle parking.

The post Natural History Building recognized by U.S. Green Building Council appeared first on School Construction News.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University Bloomington recently received three LEED Gold certifications for buildings, bringing the campus total to nine. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs addition, Ray E. Cramer Marching Hundred Hall and Hodge Hall all received gold certification in late 2018 and early 2019, reaffirming the university’s commitment to ensuring all new construction receives a minimum LEED Gold certification or higher, as laid out in the IU Bicentennial Strategic Plan.

“Indiana University has been a leader among Big Ten institutions in environmentally conscious building design and construction,” said Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities Thomas A. Morrison. “Our three most recent LEED Gold certifications exemplify our commitment to constructing facilities that support and enhance our beautiful campus while seeking efficiencies in function, energy and water consumption, and use of recycled and other eco-friendly building materials.”

The Ray E. Cramer Marching Hundred Hall earned 63 points out of 110 and was certified in October 2018, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs addition 63 points out of 110 and was certified in November 2018, and Hodge Hall earned 60 points out of 110 and was certified in January 2019.

LEED’s point-based rating system evaluates buildings for their performance in seven categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation, and regional priority credits.

The following IU Bloomington construction projects have received LEED certifications:

Gold: 60 to 79 points

• 3rd and Union Apartments
• Cyberinfrastructure Building
• Hodge Hall
• Global and International Studies Building
• Jacobs School of Music East Studio Building
• Ray E. Cramer Marching Hundred Hall
• School of Public and Environmental Affairs Addition
• Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall renovation
• Spruce Hall

Silver: 50 to 59 points

• Innovation Center
• Multidisciplinary Science Building II
• Research and Teaching Preserve
• Tulip Tree Apartments

Certified: 40 to 49 points

• Forest Dining Hall

Contributing solutions like public transportation access, use of open spaces, water use reduction, efficient mechanical systems, installation of LED lighting, diversion of construction waste from landfills and recycling programs earn LEED certification points.

The post IU Bloomington Earns Three New LEED Gold Certifications appeared first on School Construction News.

BOULDER, Colo. — The Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), which opened in the heart of the University of Colorado Boulder’s main campus last summer, has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 114,000-square-foot CASE building serves as a new gateway to the campus that supports the academic and student experience from the time prospective students first visit campus through their time at CU Boulder, to graduation and beyond. The latest recognition brings the total number of CU Boulder buildings with LEED certification to 27, either for new construction or major renovations.

“Earning LEED certification for such a prominent building on our campus is exciting as it helps place our commitment to sustainable and efficient building practices front and center in the CU Boulder landscape,” said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability.

Noresco provided sustainability consulting services to CU Boulder to ensure that sustainability goals of the CASE project were achieved. Oz Architecture and Bora Architects led design of the building, while GH Phipps Construction Cos., served as general contractor.

Sustainability was woven into systems throughout the CASE building. One of the most prominent features is the electrochromic glass installed at the top-level terraces. The glazing on these south-facing windows self-dims as sun exposure increases, minimizing heat gain and glare while highlighting the breathtaking views of the Flatirons mountains beyond. Also significant was construction of the building atop an existing parking garage, avoiding consumption of green space and actually introducing new sources of vegetation to the site on the north-facing slope.

Other sustainability highlights that bolstered the CASE building’s LEED score include:

• LED lighting throughout that contributes to 32 percent energy savings versus a baseline office and classroom building

• Low-flow plumbing features to conserve water, contributing to a 40 percent reduction in indoor water use versus a baseline office and classroom building

• 67 percent of construction waste diverted from landfills

• HVAC and envelope designed to provide a comfortable thermal environment to promote occupant productivity and well-being

The post CASE Building Notches LEED Gold in Colorado appeared first on School Construction News.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Carnegie Mellon University’s new home for the Tepper School of Business was recently recognized for limiting its environmental impact in construction and operations.

The university’s first building on the David A. Tepper Quadrangle that houses the Coulter Welcome Center and the new home for the Tepper School of Business has been awarded LEED Gold certification.

The Tepper Quad construction aligns with 73 points on the LEED Gold scale that requires between 60 and 79 points.

“From the start, the Tepper Quad was planned as a green building,” said Tepper School Dean Robert Dammon. “It is gratifying that LEED has recognized the significant efforts of our planning committee with a Gold certification. We maintain our commitment to sustainable operations in our occupation of the Tepper Quad.”

The 315,000-square-foot, five-story Tepper Quad opened Sept. 13, 2018 with a price tag of $201 million. Several elements of the building construction, including a 120,000-gallon cistern to collect rainwater for reuse, were planned with LEED certification in mind.

“From the outset of the project, our goal was to achieve LEED Gold,” said Ralph Horgan, associate vice president of Campus Design and Facility Development at Carnegie Mellon. “Per the Simonds Principles, it is what we strive for on all of our new construction projects.”

Sustainability is one of several priorities outlined in the Simonds Principles, which CMU created in 2013. One innovative feature that reduced the volume of carbon in the building by about 30 percent is called “voided slab methodology.” This system involves replacing some of the concrete in floor slabs with hollow plastic balls, made from recycled plastic. The BubbleDeck technique allows lighter, thinner floor slabs, which reduces the need for structural support such as concrete caissons and steel girders. The building in the Tepper Quad space is currently the largest construction project in North America to use BubbleDeck.

The newest LEED guidelines take transportation into account, encouraging a reduction in vehicle traffic around the building by facilitating easier use of bicycles, foot traffic and public transit. During the planning process for the Tepper Quad building, Bryan Routledge, associate professor of finance at the Tepper School who co-chaired the Tepper Quad building working group, became familiar with the U.S. Department of Transportation Complete Streets initiative, an approach to designing roads that accounts for all users that includes drivers, pedestrians and bicycle riders.

“The interesting thing I found about the LEED guidelines is how much they are in line with healthy buildings,” said Routledge. “All the glass daylights much of the building. That does not just reduce the need for electricity and lights, it makes for a happy place to live.”

Routledge reported that one of the working group’s largest priorities was the atrium, a large open space in the center of the building encased in a four-story glass curtain. Such a large expanse of glass presents a significant challenge in maintaining the building’s temperature, so the Campus Design and Facility Development team found ways to mitigate the heat gain. The glass is “fritted,” which means it has a translucent ceramic coating that counteracts glare and reduces direct sunlight into the space. The floor surfaces in the atrium use radiant slabs, which incorporate pipes that circulate liquid to provide heating and cooling from below — an important strategy for a space with high ceilings.

Horgan noted that, while every recent construction project on campus including the Gates Hillman complex, Scott Hall and the Collaborative Innovation Center has earned LEED Gold status, “none of those are as large and complex as the Tepper Quad building.”

The post Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Quad Earns LEED Gold Certification appeared first on School Construction News.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University’s Engineering and Science Building has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Located at Garland Street and 25th Avenue, the 230,000-square-foot structure is home to both the Engineering and Science Building, which includes laboratories, classrooms and a state-of-the-art clean room, and Vanderbilt’s Innovation Pavilion, which includes the Wond’ry and its makerspace.

“Receiving gold status shows we are on the right path when we carry out building and renovating on campus,” said Mike Perez, associate vice chancellor of administration for facilities. “Making sure we are approaching these projects with long-term sustainability in mind has been a significant shift since the launch of FutureVU.”

The building opened its doors during the 2016-17 academic year, and includes laboratories, classrooms and a state-of-the-art cleanroom that houses both faculty and student learning and innovation. Its lighting saves energy through LED bulbs as well as occupancy sensors allowing lights to be off except where people are working.

“The Engineering and Science Building is a game-changer for our research enterprise. Its systems enable us to conduct more sensitive experiments,” said Philippe M. Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering. “Adding the LEED Gold distinction just reaffirms our commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable building practices.”

The Engineering and Science Building houses the university’s most energy-efficient lab space. During the initial design phase of the building, 3D modeling was used to evaluate conditions of the site such as orientation, heat gain from windows, natural light, and others to ensure optimized design.

“Our goal was to be very thoughtful in the materials used and how we could make sure this building lasts for generations of scholars,” said University Architect Keith Loiseau. “Balancing the tremendous energy needs of the building’s features with our university’s goals of responsible environmental design was the biggest challenge we faced.”

Other green design elements that helped the building achieve its LEED status include:

• Twenty-foot-tall enthalpy wheels to transfer heat and humidity, conditioning the fresh air intake with exhaust air leaving the building
• Chilled beams supplied by hot and cold water used to condition spaces which is more efficient than conditioning with air systems
• A 10,000-gallon cistern to capture rain water for irrigation
• Sunshading frit on glass to optimize natural solar light and to also help prevent bird strikes
• Flexibility of design to allow different lab-type use over time as well as lab renovations without major mechanical systems rework
• Cleanroom energy reduction through occupancy and particle sensors to decrease system use when not needed

The post Vanderbilt University Engineering and Science Building Earns LEED Gold appeared first on School Construction News.

DALLAS — Merriman Anderson/Architects (MAA) recently announced that the historic Dallas High School has achieved LEED Gold certification.

The 102,000-square-foot, four-story building was built in 1907 and sat empty for nearly two decades before being purchased by Matthews Southwest and redeveloped into 78,000 square feet of historically converted office space, along with 10,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and outdoor patio space.

MAA is the design architect, historic architect and architect of record for the building shell and interior restoration, including the LEED certification process.

In order to receive LEED gold certification, MAA implemented many sustainable site and material strategies, as well as envelope improvements to optimize energy efficiency.

“To increase the energy performance of the building, the envelope was improved per historic preservation standards, which was the biggest challenge,” said Aimee Sanborn, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal and Team Leader at Merriman Anderson/Architects. “However, with the envelope and lighting improvements, combined energy savings improved by more than 21.9 percent.”

A few sustainable site strategies included the abatement of contaminants in the existing building, such as the installation of native vegetation with drip irrigation and priority parking for fuel-efficient vehicles as well as on-site electric charging stations.

Highly reflective thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing membrane, an efficient HVAC system, and LED lighting were all established within the building to improve energy efficiency. With the installation of low flow fixtures, the potable water use within the building was reduced by more than 49.31 percent.

More than 99.64 percent of the existing core and shell were reused, and products were installed that possessed recycled content reducing the amount of construction waste. To improve the environmental health throughout the building, MAA installed low-emitting materials.

Dallas High School recently won a 2018 Preservation Dallas Achievement Award, which honors Dallas’ outstanding residential and commercial historic preservation projects and the individuals who are committed to making Dallas a better place to live by protecting its architectural heritage.

The post Dallas High School Earns LEED Gold appeared first on School Construction News.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — UNC Greensboro recently announced that it is moving forward with the construction of a new and sustainable Nursing and Instructional building.

LS3P Associates Ltd. is the Architect-of-Record and SmithGroupJJR is the Design Architect on the project.

Set to make its debut in spring of 2020, UNCG’s Nursing and Instructional Building project includes the demolition of the McIver Building and construction of a new four-story facility that will house the School of Nursing which is currently located in four buildings.

The facility will also provide teaching and flexible laboratory research space for the School of Health and Human Sciences and the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, in addition to providing more space for the School of Nursing, .

In addition to housing 39 labs, 14 classrooms, nine research suites and a community engagement center, the 180,000-square-foot facility is said to be a shining example of sustainable building and design with UNCG currently pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification or higher for the project.

Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders, Inc. is providing construction management, preconstruction, and virtual construction services for the project. Construction includes three components that include demolition of the existing McIver Building, construction of the new Nursing and Instructional building, and construction of the South Chiller Plant, providing capacity for the new building and enhancing reliability of the campus chilled water system.

Builders and designers are now working to incorporate a number of cost-effective and innovative elements that will support the environment as well as health and wellness.

One element includes bioretention and water management. The new building will have a bioretention system, where contaminants and sedimentation will be removed from stormwater runoff. Designers also employed biophilic methods, designing with materials, colors and light in a way that connects people with nature.

Chris Roberts, principal and studio leader at LS3P Associates Ltd., calls it “bringing the outdoors in.”

The building was strategically laid out to avoid critical root zones in existing trees. It’s five-story atrium runs down the middle of the building, creating a lively, open space with natural light and a main staircase, and pedestrian pathways and vegetated pathways located outside of the energy-efficient building.

“A lab building is an energy hog,” said Roberts. “The fact that this building will have labs and classrooms and still be one of the better energy-performing buildings on campus is a big deal.”

Additional eco-friendly features of the new Nursing and Instructional building include:

• Peak energy output from the Photovoltaic panels on the roof that is expected to be only 1 to 2 percent over a year
• Energy-efficiency: LED lights that will be installed throughout the building
• Heat recovery: Exhaust air will preheat unconditioned air entering the building
• Material reuse: Catalpa trees from the McIver Building site were salvaged, milled and treated and will be built into the outdoor classroom
• Vegetated roof: Portions of a roof patio will include natural planted areas to reduce solar heat gain and pre-treat water runoff
• Low-slope high albedo roof design: to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than traditional dark-colored roofs
• Roof pavers: made of recycled materials

“We love to try to incorporate these things but are rarely able to,” said Roberts. “It’s exciting to see so many interventions within one project. I applaud UNCG for such a strong focus on sustainability, and they really embraced these ideas throughout the design.”

The post UNCG Announces Construction of New Nursing Building appeared first on School Construction News.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — International design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman recently announced that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Cambridge has been certified LEED Platinum.

The 170,000-square-foot school achieved 89 points out of 110 base points possible for LEED — making it the second highest-scoring new school in the world certified under USGBC’s LEED for Schools-New Construction system, according to a press release.

Sean O’Donnell FAIA, LEED AP, Principal-in-Charge of the project and Perkins Eastman’s practice area leader for K-12 education, said that both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dunbar High School scored so highly on the LEED Platinum scale for the same reason — all of the stakeholders were committed to the vision of creating the most sustainable, highest-performance learning environments possible.

“The integrated design process with these stakeholders assured that strategies were researched and vetted in a cross-disciplinary way which made the projects successful in the full spectrum of LEED categories, said O’Donnell. “Accordingly, many opportunities and systems were optimized and integrated into the designs to achieve this level of performance.”

These ranged from proper massing and solar orientation with systems to conserve resources. These resources included the ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling, the on-demand dedicated outdoor air ventilation, extensive photo-voltaic systems, the graywater system for flushing toilets, the building envelope and light shelves to those that enhance Indoor Environmental Quality such as lighting, acoustics, as well as healthy materials, and elements that transformed what would otherwise be concealed infrastructure into opportunities.

“Most importantly, these strategies were utilized to create light-filled spaces that are quiet, comfortable, flexible, and beautiful – spaces where students and teachers can collaborate together or focus individually,” said O’Donnell.

Jana Silsby AIA, LEED AP, the project’s senior designer explained the process was different from other they have worked on, in both feasibility and schematic design phases.

“A great deal of effort went into understanding exactly how the building would be maintained and used, right down to detailed plug load information, in order to provide the best and most affordable design possible,” said Silsby. “Energy modeling and analysis was used from the beginning to inform design decisions, including an embodied carbon analysis to help determine whether to renovate the existing building or build new. While we always focus on optimizing daylight and views in the learning environment, this was the first project that we could digitally model these attributes and fine-tune the design in near real-time.”

Therefore, the classrooms are suffused with plentiful natural light and as a result are among the most beautiful that we have ever designed. Teachers evidently agree, as virtually every time we visit the building we find that they have opted to leave the lights off, preferring to enjoy the daylight.

“The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School sets a high bar for quality and environmental responsibility by achieving LEED Platinum,” said Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. “Any visitor to the school can tell the care and commitment that went into its design and construction, made visible by its rooftop garden, welcoming auditorium, public art, and daylit classrooms. We commend Cambridge Public Schools, Perkins Eastman, and all of their partners for bringing this healthy, inspiring learning environment to students and delivering a school the students, parents, and teachers can be proud of.”

The post Perkins Eastman-Designed School Earns LEED Platinum appeared first on School Construction News.