Suffolk Construction announced that Plumosa School of the Arts has been awarded LEED Gold by the USGBC.
Plumosa, located in Delray Beach, is one of the first elementary schools in South Florida with a dedicated curriculum for the Arts. The project built for the School District of Palm Beach County, included the renovation and addition to the existing Atlantic High School campus. The new 92,000-sf 704-station elementary school included extensive modernization and preservation planning of the 640-seat auditorium.
During the project planning and design stages, the School District had mandated all projects moving forward would be required to apply for LEED Silver. Suffolk Construction, along with the design team of Tercilla Courtemanche Architects, reviewed the project and the traditional USGBC point system for opportunities to create sustainable strategies for the project. Some of the elements implemented included low-flow plumbing and motion light sensors throughout reducing water usage and creating energy savings.
Because the project was located on such a large site, the team chose specific indigenous plants and grasses in the landscape that didn’t require irrigation; thus saving water usage. Other areas that increased the project’s performance included that fact it was developed on a Brownfield site; which enabled the use of a site which in the past would have been overlooked. Through shared parking with the adjacent City of Delray Swimming Complex the Project Team minimized adding parking spaces which helps to reduce the island heat effect created from asphalted parking areas.
The project team determined they would ensure the use of regional materials for the project as well as taking advantage of programs such as Renewable Energy Credits and Certified Woods. As a method to prevent increasing wasted materials, the old asphalt that was demolished was re-used. During the demolition, instead of sending the crushed asphalt to the landfill, they worked with Waste Management to repurpose for base course to stabilize the new parking lots. +
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 13, 2019
2019 Science + Technology Giants Report: Operational flexibility is a must for S+T buildings
The science and technology (S+T) sector is arguably the industry’s most complex because it caters to a diverse clientele with specific priorities and imperatives, according to Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Architects | Aug 12, 2019
AIA, NCARB help launch coalition to represent complex professions and licensing boards
Architects, registration boards, and others join effort to ensure a unified voice for professions in growing debate around licensure, regulation, and public safety.
AEC Innovators | Aug 9, 2019
Improving architectural designs through iteration
Computational design lets ZGF Architects see patterns that renderings and even models can’t show.
Giants 400 | Aug 8, 2019
Top 200 Office Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
Gensler, AECOM, Perkins+Will, Stantec, and HOK top the rankings of the nation's largest office sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 8, 2019
2019 Office Giants Report: Demand for exceptional workplaces will keep the office construction market strong
Office space consolidation and workplace upgrades will keep project teams busy, according to BD+C's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Museums | Jul 29, 2019
A new museum debuts inside the Empire State Building
A $165 million, 10,000-sf museum opened on the second floor of the Empire State Building in New York City, completing the second of a four-phase “reimagining” of that building’s observatory experience, which draws four million visitors annually.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 23, 2019
Is prefab in your future?
The most important benefit of offsite construction, when done right, is reliability.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 15, 2019
Can a kids’ healthcare space teach, entertain, and heal?
Standard building requirements don’t have to be boring. Here’s how you can inject whimsical touches into everyday design features.
Architects | Jul 10, 2019
9 picks from NeoCon 2019
Interior architect Mary Bartlett selects her favorite products and systems from the 2019 NeoCon show, Chicago, June 10-12, 2019.
BD+C University Course | Jul 8, 2019
Shadow box design: To vent or not to vent [AIA course]
A curtain wall shadow box is a spandrel assembly consisting of vision glass at the building exterior and an opaque infill at the interior side of the curtain wall system. This course is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.