Northboro Elementary in West Palm Beach has received the prestigious LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) under the LEED for School category. Northboro Elementary joins the ranks as one of only seventeen schools throughout the United States, and one of only four public schools in Florida to be a USGBC Gold certified school larger than 100,000 SF. With the addition of Pine Jog Elementary School, the School District of Palm Beach County now holds the prestigious honor of being the only School District on the southeast coast of Florida with USGBC Gold certified schools.
Northboro Elementary, the $25 million modernized and restored West Palm Beach school was built by Hedrick Brothers Construction and designed by BRPH Architects-Engineers. The school reopened its doors this past August with the project coming in on schedule and within budget.
The modernization project began in June 2008 with the demolition of the existing administrative/classroom building and the cafeteria building. The existing media/classroom was renovated to current standards. New buildings include a 27,600 SF administrative/cafeteria building and a 60,000 SF two-story building with 42 classrooms. The existing butterfly garden/park was re-located on campus. The new parking areas have 133 spaces. The school currently accommodates 713 students, with a capacity that allows for a future enrollment of 952.
Some of the LEED aspects incorporated into Northboro Elementary School include:
- Glass floor tile, made from recycled glass, in both the cafeteria and media center.
- All of the interior doors are “FSC wood” meaning the material comes from sustainably harvested forests. These forests are managed and replenished for a continuous production of material, rather than destroying virgin forests and leaving behind vacant land.
- All of the bathrooms conserve water through dual flush toilets, waterless urinals and flow restriction faucets.
- There are two 25,000 gallon cisterns underground used to collect rain water for irrigation.
- The landscaping on campus consists of native species which require less watering.
- The HVAC /ventilation system consists of outdoor air intake to help circulate fresh air into the building. This helps reduce “sick building syndrome” by providing a constant flow of air circulation.
- The parking lot promotes the use of fuel efficient and hybrid cars, along with carpooling by providing preferred parking spaces.
- A touch screen has been installed at the mechanical room of a classroom building to facilitate the students understanding of how energy is used in the buildings.
- The stair coverings in a classroom building are made out of recycled tires.
- The original 1927 brick has been salvaged and reused throughout the buildings.
- The concrete paving and light colored roofing (high SRI) material help reduce heat absorption.
- The classrooms have occupancy sensors for the lights and air-conditioning which turn off when the room is not occupied, and low e-glazing on the windows that reduce energy costs.
- Artificial turf – made of recycled rubber material – has been used in the courtyard to reduce maintenance costs.
- The PE shelter utilizes skylights for natural lighting, which help reduce energy costs.
- Over 75% of construction waste has been diverted from landfills and sent to recycling facilities.
- Retention ponds on site hold rainwater runoff in order to minimize impact to the surrounding areas.
For more information please contact Chief of Facilities Management Joseph Sanches at 561- 357-7573 or sanchesj@palmbeach.k12.fl.us .