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Ground broken on first LEED Platinum designed school house built by volunteers

Ground broken on first LEED Platinum designed school house built by volunteers

Phoenix public school receives the generous gift of a state-of-the-art building for student and community use.


By By BD+C Staff | December 1, 2011
The 6,000-sf project in Phoenix will be the launching pad of state-of-the-art green schoolhouses across the country on Title 1,
This article first appeared in the December 2011 issue of BD+C.

Bringing together the community, school districts, corporations and volunteers, The Green Schoolhouse Series, in collaboration with Cause and Effect Evolutions and Washington Elementary School District break ground on the world’s first LEED Platinum designed schoolhouse built by volunteers, on the campus of Roadrunner Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz.

The 6,000-sf project in Phoenix will be the launching pad of state-of-the-art green schoolhouses across the country on Title 1, low income, public school campuses.

The schoolhouse at Roadrunner, named Safari, will be a teaching tool, educating the students and community members on the importance of sustainable living and building practices. Safari’s sustainable features include a solar rooftop system, STEM-devoted (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classroom, rainwater harvesting capabilities, interactive white boards, an outdoor classroom and native gardens.

The award-winning state-of-the-art building is designed by the acclaimed Phoenix architecture firm Stantec, with construction being done by Hensel Phelps and engineering services provided by Heideman Associates, a Zak Co.

Features of the schoolhouse include:

  • Rainwater harvesting system, provided by Brae
  • Solar roof system, provided by Empire Renewable Energy
  • Native green garden, provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
  • Eco-friendly windows, provided by Pella Corp.
  • STEM classroom, made possible by DeVry University
  • Schoolhouse kitchen, made possible by Kraft Foods and IGA
  • Energy efficient fans, provided by Rite-Hite Fans
  • State-of-the-art water bottle refilling stations provided by Elkay
  • No VOC paint, provided by Glidden. BD+C

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