Armour Academic Center Awarded Prestigious LEED Gold Certification

Westminster School’s new 85,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Armour Academic Center has been awarded LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.

The LEED green building certification system is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures.

The Armour Academic Center achieved the gold certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as for incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. It is one of the first facilities to use a geothermal heat exchange system on a large-scale basis.

“We are extremely proud that the Armour Academic Center has received this prestigious recognition for its leading-edge green design,” said Headmaster Graham Cole. “From the beginning of our planning, there was a desire by our faculty, our students and the building’s design team to take an innovative approach in using cost-efficient and energy-saving features to make the center as sustainable as possible.”

The gold certification was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community including:

• A geothermal heat exchange system with 72 wells that are 500 feet deep is estimated to save about $20,000 per year in fuel costs and to pay for itself within five years. The building is expected to exceed the latest energy codes on energy consumption by an estimated 33 percent.

• Ninety percent of the spaces occupied by students and teachers have direct views to the outdoors, an environmental improvement that has been shown to increase productivity.

• The ventilation system provides fresh air that exceeds code requirements and creates a healthier learning environment.

• High-efficiency mechanical systems, increased insulation, smart glazing choices and efficient lighting design will save about 37 percent in energy costs.

• Water-efficient plumbing fixtures will cut water usage by 40 percent compared to a conventional building and provide an annual savings of 155,000 gallons of water.

• The irrigation system will reduce water consumption by 50 percent and provide an annual savings of 1 million gallons of water.

In addition, the center has low gas-emitting paint, adhesives and carpets; building materials with a recycled content that averages 20 percent; built-in recycling bins; accommodations for bicycles; and preferred parking for fuel-efficient and car pool vehicles. Seventy-five percent of the waste generated by the project was recycled.

“Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The Armour Academic Center efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come.”

The four-level Armour Academic Center opened last September in time for the 2009-2010 academic year and includes a humanities wing and a math and science wing, surrounding a centrally located glass atrium. It also features:

• a two-story library with small study and tutoring rooms for group work, and a large reading room that also will function as a community meeting place

• classrooms and laboratories that offer the latest technology for teaching and learning

• offices for each academic department

• a 120-seat amphitheater-style lecture hall for special presentations, visiting lecturers and standardized testing

• a planetarium for astronomy instruction

• a student lounge, which accommodates about 50 students in a diner-like setting, and a new school store

• abundant lounge areas, which provide attractive areas for students and faculty to connect during the school day.

Westminster alumnus Graham Gund, president of GUND Partnership, an award-winning architecture firm in Cambridge, Mass., and the firm’s managing principal, John Prokos, designed the center following extensive consultation with members of the campus community. GUND Partnership has played a vital role in the development of the campus including the school’s master plan for facilities.