Building Design+Construction has partnered with building product manufacturers and the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED) to create a modular classroom/lab/community center, on display at the GreenZone exhibit during Greenbuild 2014 in New Orleans, October 21-23.
At the conclusion of Greenbuild, the Environment Education Classroom will revert to the possession of the CSED and move to its permanent Lower 9th Ward home in a residential block south of the Bayou Bienvenue Wetlands Triangle viewing platform. It will serve as a community center and K-12 classroom for educating students on water quality, water conservation, storm water management, and resiliency.
Designed by New Orleans firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (EDR), recipient of the 2014 AIA Architecture Firm Award, and TLC Engineering for Architecture, and built by local design-builder Broadmoor LLC, the structure targets net-zero energy use. Sustainable design elements include a pitched butterfly roof to collect and transport rainwater to polypropylene tanks underneath the building.
How you can contribute
After being on display at the Morial Convention Center at Greenbuild October 21-23, the Environment Education Classroom will revert to the possession of the CSED. The 560-sf modular structure will be moved to its permanent home in a residential block just south of the Bayou Bienvenue Wetlands Triangle viewing platform.
Moving the structure from the convention center and setting it up at the CSED site will require about $30,000 in site work to lay the foundation, connect the utilities, and construct ADA-compliant decks and entryways, according to USGBC Louisiana Executive Director Shannon Stage.
USGBC Louisiana, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity, is seeking tax-deductible donations from Greenbuild attendees, AEC firms, and others interested in the CSED Environment Education Classroom to help offset those costs. Credit-card donations may be made via the USGBC Louisiana website, usgbclouisiana.org.
Any excess funds that are collected will be used for educational materials and ongoing operations of the facility, says Stage.
The water will be reused to irrigate wetland beds. The building is 100% daylit per LEED v4 requirements, enhanced by a triangular piece of glass around the entire façade that allows further daylight penetration into the structure.
The GreenZone sponsors include: Access Lighting, Accoya, ASSA ABLOY, Bayer MaterialScience, Carlisle Syntec Systems, CENTRIA, LG, Mecho Systems, and Modular Building Institute.
About the Structure
The Environment Education Classroom will serve a variety of functions in the Lower 9th Ward community. It will be an education center, meeting space, and laboratory all in one and within a footprint of 15 feet by 40 feet.
The main space is designed to be as open and flexible as possible, complete with movable furniture to be reconfigured as needed. Since the number of people sharing the building at any one time can change, EDR went with a demand-controlled ventilation mechanical system, which will respond to the number of occupants in the room at any given time. The architects wanted the building to be 100% daylit, per LEED v4, and so engaged extensive daylight simulations for testing.
Taking that indoor-outdoor connection a step further, a portion of the north facade will feature a folding wall system that can be opened and closed as desired.
From the exterior, the pitched butterfly roof is one of the visual highlights. But it's not just beauty for beauty's sake—the roof will be able to collect rainwater and carry it down to the polypropylene tanks underneath the building; The rainwater will be reused to irrigate the wetland beds CSED plans to install around the building.
For more information on the Environment Education Classroom, visit www.BDCnetwork.com/greenzone2014.
Schematic by New Orleans design firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple reveals some of the sustainbility features of the modular classroom/lab/community center. The facilty’s focus on water/stormwater education is made apparent to visitors and the community via the rainwater retention system on the roof, the cistern and pump, the vegetated rainscreen, and wetlands learning gardens. Design/build firm Broadmoor LLC is in charge of construction. All illustrations: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple conducted extensive daylight and energy analyses to make the modular facility as energy efficient as possible under LEED v4.
1. Entry 2. Exhibit display 3. Classroom 4. Computer Station 5. Kitchen. Section of Environment Education Classroom reveals multiple use options in a compact space. Designer Eskew+Dumez+Ripple was named AIA Architecture Firm for 2014.
1. Entry 2. Exhibit display 3. Classroom 4. Computer Station 5. Kitchen 6. Closet 7. Toilet Room 8. Deck. Floor plan of the 560-sf Environment Education Center. Designers from Eskew+Dumez+Ripple worked pro bono with design/build experts from Broadmoor LLC to gain efficient use of the tight space. The facility will be used as a water/stormwater classroom for K-12 students, as a community center, and as a water-research lab.
Schematic by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple shows some of the sustainable strategies being employed in the module. Design-build firm Broadmoor LLC has used the project as an education opportunity for a dozen of its workers.
Renderings by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple provide advanced views of the Environment Education Classroom, at this writing under construction at Broadmoor LLC. Materials and systems for the project were donated by Access Lighting, Accoya, ASSA ABLOY, Bayer MaterialScience, Carlisle SynTec, CENTRIA, LG, and MechoSystems; the Modular Building Institute provided technical guidance. The facility will be sited about 100 yards from Bayou Bienvenue in the 9th Ward.
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Sep 2, 2015
Mock neighborhood simulates ‘real’ driving conditions for automated vehicles
The University of Michigan’s Mcity is a public-private partnership interested in overcoming unpredictable obstacles to driverless travel.
Mixed-Use | Aug 26, 2015
Innovation districts + tech clusters: How the ‘open innovation’ era is revitalizing urban cores
In the race for highly coveted tech companies and startups, cities, institutions, and developers are teaming to form innovation hot pockets.
University Buildings | Aug 13, 2015
Best of Education Design: 9 projects named AIA Education Facility Design Award winners
Georgia Tech's Clough Commons, Boston's Berklee Tower, and seven other facilities were honored for aiding learning and demonstrating excellent architectural design.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR GIANTS: To succeed, school design must replicate real-world environments
Whether new or reconstructed, schools must meet new demands that emanate from the real world and rapidly adapt to different instructional and learning modes, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
UNIVERSITY SECTOR GIANTS: Collaboration, creativity, technology—hallmarks of today’s campus facilities
At a time when competition for the cream of the student/faculty crop is intensifying, colleges and universities must recognize that students and parents are coming to expect an education environment that foments collaboration, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
University Buildings | Jul 28, 2015
OMA designs terraced sports center for UK's Brighton College
Designs for what will be the biggest construction project in the school’s 170-year history feature a rectangular building at the edge of the school’s playing field. A running track is planned for the building’s roof, while sports facilities will be kept underneath.
University Buildings | Jul 21, 2015
Maker spaces: Designing places to test, break, and rebuild
Gensler's Kenneth Fisher and Keller Roughton highlight recent maker space projects at MIT and the University of Nebraska that provide just the right mix of equipment, tools, spaces, and disciplines to spark innovation.
Education Facilities | Jul 14, 2015
Chile selects architects for Subantarctic research center
Promoting ecological tourism is one of this facility’s goals
Museums | Jun 28, 2015
Manhattan's New Museum debuts first museum-led incubator space
Part studio, part shared workplace, part lab, and part professional development program, NEW INC connects design with technology, the arts with the market, students with seasoned practitioners, and the museum with the world.
Codes and Standards | Jun 18, 2015
New document addresses school safety and security
In an effort to balance security and fire safety features within codes, standards and planning, NFPA hosted a two-day workshop, “School Safety, Codes and Security”, last December. The findings are now available in an NFPA report.