Sustainability at the New West Elementary
Soon West Elementary kids may be singing about sustainability during their annual West El Readers and Writers Conference (affectionately pronounced “We Rock”). That’s because the new West El currently under construction has been designed with sustainability in mind throughout the lifecycle of the project.
Inspirational design of the new West Elementary school
Sustainability at a new school isn’t just the solar panels on the roof or the electric heat pumps instead of a fossil-fuel furnace. It’s also about how the building is constructed and how the current West El will be deconstructed. Some of these elements include:
Less net stormwater runoff from the new site than the old site. That’s due to more permeable material in the playgrounds, parking areas and sidewalks.
The water efficiency of the new building will be greater than required by Massachusetts code.
Maximizing the use of high recycle content of new materials and finishes, such as in the acoustic panels.
A goal of 95% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood products.
Maximizing the use of regional materials.
Exterior light fixtures will adhere to dark sky requirements to reduce light spillage from the site and high efficiency long-life LEDs will be installed to illuminate the facade and walkways.
And when the existing school is demolished they will be working to ensure those materials are disposed of as sustainably as possible.
This attention to sustainable materials and sourcing will mean that the indoor environment is high quality for the students, teachers and staff. The indoor space will be further enhanced with an abundance of natural light including skylights. A rooftop garden is planned, which will be a learning space complete with a greenhouse.
“Imagine the expanded educational opportunities when the building itself is a learning environment to teach about sustainability,” shared Joyce Losick-Yang, Director of Sustainability and Energy for the town of Andover, “Not to mention the health benefits that are created with the attention to natural light and careful selection of building materials.”
Overall the building aims to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system. The new Bancroft Elementary has earned a LEED Silver designation.
As Andover continues to look for ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence, the new West El will be all-electric. There will be some electric vehicle charging stations with the ability to add more and the roof and parking areas will have conduits so solar can more easily be installed in the future.
Attend town meeting on December 1, 2022 to ensure additional funds are authorized to allow completion of construction. Construction costs have been driven up by about 13% over budget due to numerous factors affecting the overall economy.
