“If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are.”
CURRICULUM INTEGRATION
The Living Building Science Wing is a project that fits perfectly into the school’s long history of sustainable curricula. For nearly 15 years, the school has taken an active role in making environmental education and sustainable practices core educational values. In each grade level, students focus on a year-long investigation of topics. The third grade studies waste and recycling, the fourth grade studies water, and the fifth grade studies energy. These lengthy study units allow the students to explore many facets and gain an under—WENDELL BERRY standing of environmental issues. This unparalleled and inspiring commitment to sustainability education is what initially attracted the design team to Bertschi School. Beyond simply reading about these issues, their new Living Building allows the students to experience sustainability on a daily basis. From watching Located on a half city block in a dense Seattle residen- the collection and treatment of water in the building, tial neighborhood, Bertschi School’s 40,000 square to understanding how their choices influence their enfeet of built space is comprised of seven structures: ergy needs, each student plays an active role in practicfour houses and a church building all built in the early ing ecological concepts. twentieth century, the 2007 Bertschi Center and the 2010 Living Building Science Wing. On this snug cam- The performance aspect of the Living Building pus, every space is used to its fullest. For students and Challenge presented a wonderful opportunity for parents, the campus is welcoming and comforting. For student involvement with the building as part of faculty and staff, it supports the educational program the certification process. The fourth and fifth grade in sometimes unusual and unexpected ways made pos- water and energy studies fit well with tracking the sible by the intimate nature of the campus. performance of the building during the 12-month occupancy stage that is required for Living Building Prior to the Living Building addition, the 2007 comple- Challenge Certification. The building has been and tion of the LEED Gold Bertschi Center building and continues to be a part of the Bertschi sustainability site improvements made room for enhanced art, music curriculum, because the Challenge requires ongoand physical education programs. As new construc- ing monitoring of water usage and treatment, energy, tion, it presented an opportunity for building sustain- and air quality. No other green building standard is ably that the school was ripe for, since the curriculum as action based, requiring the users of the building already supported many of the ideas that were realized to be a continuous part of its performance and habin that LEED Gold certified building. The new gym itability. No other green building standard lends and playfield spaces that were part of this development itself so readily to learning about sustainable pracalso freed up the paved ball court on the other end of tices in a concrete manner that even young students the campus to become the site for the new science wing. can understand.
No other green building standard lends itself so readily to learning about sustainable practices in a concrete manner that even young students can understand. PHOTO: BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER
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Summer 2013
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