At Greenbuild 2012, Building Design+Construction sponsored the fabrication of a modular, energy-efficient classroom, which was displayed outside the North Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. BD+C talked to several people as they left the SAGE classroom to see what they thought and what caught their eye. Here’s what they had to say:
Joy Bennett, Market Development Manager, Ashland Inc. (right) – “I think there were a lot of interesting products featured. There seemed to be a fair amount of space. I’m guessing it goes up pretty fast, which is a huge benefit, and that with all the windows and lighting that it’s a much better temporary solution than many of the things that have been used in the past.”
Anthony Garrison, Installed Business Consultant, Ashland Inc. (left) – “I could see it being used in a place like Haiti where they want to bring normalcy back to the children. Obviously you want to put them back in a situation where they’re more familiar. Something like this could be shipped in and would go up pretty quick. The insulation was pretty amazing; I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s nothing like the classrooms I was used to.”
Amelia Feichtner, Principal, Cuningham Group Architecture Inc. – “One of the major takeaways for me was the amount of natural daylight they got into the space, and not just with the windows but also the controllability of them. What we face a lot is that we get all this natural daylight in, but if you need a blackout situation to do presentations or something, it gets difficult. So that was definitely something that left an impression. Overall, as someone who’s looked into this for a while, it was a really beautiful space.”
Francis Gichuhi, Habitech Consultants, Nairobi, Kenya – “This project offered a lot of interesting insights that I will consider for a similar project that I will be working on in Kenya. I hope this will lead to more contacts and greater information on the subject.”
Annie Argento, Assoc. Principal, Gaia Development – “The modular classroom is very inviting and just the kind of space one wants for a child to learn and grow. The natural daylight penetration, healthy and vibrant materials, and the obvious adaptability are all best practices for healthy schools, and it’s wonderful to see these principles and strategies come to fruition in a structure like this.” +
Related Stories
| Apr 12, 2012
Solar PV carport, electrical charging stations unveiled in California
Project contractor Oltman Construction noted that the carport provides shaded area for 940 car stalls and generates 2 MW DC of electric power.
| Apr 11, 2012
Shawmut appoints Tripp as business development director
Tripp joined Shawmut in 1998 and previously held the positions of assistant superintendent, superintendent, and national construction manager.
| Apr 11, 2012
Corgan & SOM awarded contract to design SSA National Support Center
The new SSA campus is expected to meet all Federal energy and water conservation goals while achieving LEED Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council.
| Apr 11, 2012
C.W. Driver completes Rec Center on CSUN campus
The state-of-the-art fitness center supports university’s goal to encourage student recruitment and retention.
| Apr 10, 2012
JE Dunn completes two medical office buildings at St. Anthony’s Lakewood, Colo. campus
Designed by Davis Partnership Architects, P.C., Medical Plaza 1 and 2 are four-story structures totaling 96,804-sf and 101,581-sf respectively.
| Apr 10, 2012
THINK [about architecture] Scholarship enters 15th year
Students are invited to submit two-minute creative videos that illustrate how they interact with their school's design and what the space makes possible.
| Apr 10, 2012
Structured Development & Bucksbaum close on new retail site in Chicago
The site is the location of New City, a mixed-use development that will feature 370,000-sf of retail space and 280 residential rental units.
| Apr 10, 2012
Moriarty & Associates selected as GC for Miami’s BrickellHouse Condo
Construction of the 46-story development is schedule to get underway this summer and be completed in 2014.