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The Homewood Middle School project can boast of several "firsts" in education and the state of Alabama. The new school is a replacement of the existing Homewood Middle School.
The new project consists of 180,000 sq. ft. that is broken down into a classroom wing, administration wing and activity wing. It is the first school project in Alabama to be built under the construction manager - at risk Program.
The new Homewood Middle School is registered with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the first middle school in the nation to receive this certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Design, Green Building's Rating System from the Green Building Council. LEED is a design/construction criterion that evaluates environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a building's life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a "green building."
A few features that make this school unique include an energy efficient mechanical system; a daylight harvesting lighting system that is controlled by the sunlight entering the building and by sensors which monitor the room's occupants; waterless urinals in all boys' bathrooms to save money on water bills; and more than 50 of the wood used is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified as being sustainable harvested building material.
A special feature of the complex is that the wings are arranged in a "Z" shape with the classrooms and gym facility running North and South in their long dimension. There is more than one factor that contributed to the shape of the building. It allows the building to take advantage of the cool day-lighting environment that generates an estimated 38 percent energy savings.
All perimeter classrooms have a daylight harvesting system and a direct view to the outside and the shading devices on the south and large window openings on the north help create a cool daylight environment. Aspects such as the surrounding community, physical context, energy performance and human movement, comfort and productivity also played a significant role in the design.
Key Facts
| Owner: Homewood City School, Homewood, Ala. |
| Contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie, Birmingham, Ala |
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