GREEN = Society/Culture + Economy + Environment
This new LEED® certified elementary school, integrates innovative educational design with respect for the local community and the environment.
Our architectural design supports the district’s goal to instill in its learners a sense of respect and stewardship for the environment by providing an opportunity for teachers to discuss nature both inside and outside the classroom. The school also provides students with an understanding of the environment in a new and creative light. The design of the school celebrates its location and the surrounding landscape by creating a metaphor of the neighboring Crow River passing through its public spaces.
Sustainable design features include implementing a geothermal well system, promoting water and energy efficiency, managing storm water, and choosing regional materials and resources. The building footprint was minimized to leave as much of the site undisturbed as possible. Much of the site was then restored as native prairie with no potable water used for irrigation, and wetlands were created to naturally treat runoff. Daylighting is provided to the vast majority of the learning spaces and state-of-the-art high efficiency mechanical systems are used to bring fresh air into each classroom. Optimizing the energy performance of the building and its systems is projected to result in a 40% savings in energy costs.
The flexible and adaptable learning environment at the new 600-student Watertown-Mayer Elementary School allows multiple methods of instruction and enables learners to succeed based on individual learning styles. The school is organized into neighborhoods to form small learning communities, allowing the learner to foster strong relationships and feel a sense of safety/security. Different sized learning settings support a learner’s ability to make connections at a variety of levels while wireless technology supports a “learning anytime, anywhere” philosophy.
The school celebrates its context: the Crow River, small town scale, Main Street, and the surrounding landscapes. The plan supports the metaphor of a river passing through the central spaces that lead to the academic wings, each with its own identity (farmland, wetland, woodland, and prairie). The building connects directly to the site with prairie grasses and walking paths flowing uninterrupted across the central spaces to the exterior. The exterior architecture connects directly to Main Street materials and scale.
Designed with consideration given to LEED® environmental strategies related to site, water, energy, materials and indoor environmental quality, the school opened in September 2007.