Illinois Debuts LEED for Schools Campus

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — Hubble Middle School, the first LEED for Schools middle school campus registered in Illinois, opened its doors for the first time for fall classes.

The $37 million school for sixth- to eighth-grade students features a three-story classroom building with 10 classrooms on each floor. Each floor also has collaboration zones, six special-education classrooms, two science labs and a faculty team room.

The one-story main building has a cafeteria/commons with seating for 340 people, a 500-seat auditorium, faculty offices, a gymnasium and fitness areas, a health classroom and music and drama rooms.

A bridge with a multi-use art lab connects the two buildings and provides views of a vegetated roof that lies beneath the bridge.

Designers from project architect Legat Architects included a variety of stakeholders in the planning process — including administrators, teachers, students and the community — to ensure that he final design meets the needs of school officials and the community.

The community will have access to the school after hours and will be able to schedule the use of specific facilities through an agreement with the Warrenville Park District. The theater will be available to other schools in the district, along with local theatrical groups, and the fitness center will eventually be available to the community during non-school hours.

The campus is surrounded by wetlands and features several sustainable design techniques, including energy-efficient infrastructure systems, vegetated and reflective roofs, and permeable parking lots that reduce and filter water run-off.

Photo by James Steinkamp, Steinkamp Photography