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
| Jan 17, 2012
SOM launches Los Angeles design studio
Expert team to join the firm's West Coast practice, focusing on innovative urban and environmentally sustainable design in Southern California
| Jan 16, 2012
2012 40 Under 40 applications due Friday, Jan. 20
Building Design+Construction's 40 Under 40 is open to AEC professionals from around the world who are under 40 years old, as of January 1, 2012.
| Jan 16, 2012
Mid-Continent Tower wins 25 Year Award from AIA Eastern Oklahoma
Designed by Dewberry, iconic tower defines Tulsa’s skyline.
| Jan 16, 2012
Suffolk completes construction on progressive operating suite
5,700 square-foot operating suite to be test bed for next generation of imaged-guided operating techniques.
| Jan 15, 2012
Hollister Construction Services oversees interior office fit-out for Harding Loevner
The work includes constructing open space areas, new conference, trading and training rooms, along with multiple kitchenettes.
| Jan 15, 2012
Smith Consulting Architects designs Flower Hill Promenade expansion in Del Mar, Calif.
The $22 million expansion includes a 75,000-square-foot, two-story retail/office building and a 397-car parking structure, along with parking and circulation improvements and new landscaping throughout.
| Jan 15, 2012
535 Madison Avenue achieves LEED Gold certification
Class-A commercial building meets sustainability requirements of LEED Program.
| Jan 12, 2012
CSHQA receives AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Merit Award for Idaho State Capitol restoration
After a century of service, use, and countless modifications which eroded the historical character of the building and grounds, the restoration brought the 200,000-sf building back to its former grandeur by restoring historical elements, preserving existing materials, and rehabilitating spaces for contemporary uses.
| Jan 12, 2012
Stellar earns construction industry's most prestigious safety award
Now widely accepted as the construction industry's standard measure of safety performance, the STEP awards were established in 1989 to evaluate and improve safety practices and recognize outstanding safety efforts.
| Jan 12, 2012
Building independence: New take on female power
Memoir explores historic engineering project, women's empowerment era.