As sustainability consultants for this new award-winning elementary school we helped the Town and the project team define and implement sustainability goals, and pursue third party certification under the CHPS green school system. Key goals included energy efficiency, water resource protection, and native-species landscape design including a rain garden and a rooftop garden. As part of the sustainability mission we helped the school department develop a learning program that uses the building itself as a teaching tool. For this purpose we worked closely with the project graphic exhibit designer to develop a series of educational stations and signage throughout the school.
The Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School in New Bedford, Massachusetts accommodates 430 students in Pre-K through 5th Grade.
Awards:
CHPS Verified — the Collaborative for High Performance Schools.
2019 William Caudill Citation for top K-12 entry in the American School & University Architectural Portfolio.
“A cohesive design concept that connects to local history, traditions and context…Wonderfully situated roof garden, with a fully engaged Fab lab, along with the positioning of outdoor green spaces and play areas maximize the opportunities of this site by atypically engaging the outdoors in a dense urban setting… a remarkable composition.”—2019 jury
Energy Use: 20% Reduction
Potable Water Use: 70% Reduction
Waste: 94.2% Diverted from Landfill
Recycled Content: 25% of Building Materials
