Several school facilities are among this year’s top 10 examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions chosen by the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment:
•Kroon Hall, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. The 68,800-square-foot building houses the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. It has received a platinum LEED rating and features solar panels, geothermal energy system and a rainwater-harvesting system.
•The Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, Calif., which serves students from preschool through 12th grade. The 44,100-square-foot facility has received platinum LEED certification; its green features include, daylighting, a green roof, solar panels, and a virtual dashboard that displays energy and water consumption.
•King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia. The 5.3-million-square-foot campus boasts that it is the largest project in the world to have received a LEED platinum rating—and the first in Saudi Arabia. Its sustainable features include shared electric vehicles across campus; a Segway- and bicycle-sharing system; and extensive use of solar power.
•Manassas Park Elementary School + Pre-K, Manassas, Va. The campus for the 140,000-square-foot school includes a 79,000-gallon concrete cistern to collect rainwater, which is used for flushing fixtures and irrigation. The top of the cistern functions as an outdoor amphitheater.
