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
| Oct 14, 2011
Midwest construction firms merge as Black and Dew
Merger is aimed at increasing market sector capabilities and building on communication and core contracting competencies.
| Oct 14, 2011
AIA Continuing Education: optimizing moisture protection and air barrier systems
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and passing the online exam.
| Oct 12, 2011
BIM Clarification and Codification in a Louisiana Sports Museum
The Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the sporting past, but it took innovative 3D planning and coordination of the future to deliver its contemporary design.
| Oct 12, 2011
Vertical Transportation Systems Reach New Heights
Elevators and escalators have been re-engineered to help building owners reduce energy consumption and move people more efficiently.
| Oct 12, 2011
Building a Double Wall
An aged federal building gets wrapped in a new double wall glass skin.
Office Buildings | Oct 12, 2011
8 Must-know Trends in Office Fitouts
Office designs are adjusting to dramatic changes in employee work habits. Goodbye, cube farm. Hello, bright, open offices with plenty of collaborative space.
| Oct 12, 2011
FMI’s Construction Outlook: Third Quarter 2011 Report
Construction Market Forecast: The general economy is seeing mixed signs.
| Oct 12, 2011
Bulley & Andrews celebrates 120 years of construction
The family-owned and operated general contractor attributes this significant milestone to the strong foundation built decades ago on honesty, integrity, and service in construction.
| Oct 12, 2011
Consigli Construction breaks ground for Bigelow Laboratory Center for Ocean Health
Consigli to build third phase of 64-acre Ocean Science and Education Campus, design by WBRC Architects , engineers in association with Perkins + Will
| Oct 11, 2011
AIA introduces five new documents for use on sustainable projects
These new documents will be available in the first quarter of 2012 as part of the new AIA Contract Documents service and AIA Documents on Demand.