Back to school, and the classroom is mass timber

Evergreen Charter School and Wood as a Catalyst for Learning

Schools represent about 15% of the market for built mass timber projects in the U.S.—ranking less than business and assembly occupancies and more than multi-family. If looking at mass timber projects in design, schools’ share shrinks to 4%. These numbers underscore the enormous potential for wood in schools, 但真正的机会在于大量木材给皇冠99hg现金网环境带来的价值. 木材的亲生物特性在创造室内空间时具有特殊的意义，可以促进学生和教师的健康, 在严格的返校时间内建设的项目，建设速度会带来很高的回报. Increasingly, 在不断增长的市场中具有竞争力的价格以及设计更可持续建筑的紧迫性, teams are proposing mass timber on projects with confidence that it will pencil out.

The Evergreen Charter School in Hempstead, NY is a notable example, demonstrating the value of mass timber in modern school design. The project was designed by Martin Hopp Architect (MHA) with Odeh Engineers and is being built by Consigli. 它也是软木木材委员会(SLB)和美国农业部林业局(USDA) 2022年大规模木材竞赛:实现净零碳排放的六个获胜者之一.  

Located in one of Nassau County’s most impoverished communities, 常青特许学校为服务不足和边缘化的青年和家庭提供了一个替代当地公立学校的选择，在当地公立学校，少数民族的毕业率一直很低. 新建筑的使命是创建一所可持续发展的学校，拥有强大的皇冠99hg现金网计划，同时也是整个社区的资产. Planned for completion in 2024, the project is one of the East Coast’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) schools.

常荣公司已经发布了该项目的第二轮征求意见稿，因为世界和设计界正在努力适应流行病期间(以及之后)前所未有的生活性质. “There was a realization of just how important schools are to our communities,” says Martin Hopp, MHA. “I think that we all saw in COVID, right when the schools shut down, how affected we all were and the challenges that came out of that. The Evergreen RFP came to us as we were responding to how the world had changed, and we wanted to address key issues.  

确信大量木材市场已发展到足以保证竞争性投标, 设计团队提出了大量的木材设计来完成Evergreen的项目目标. 他们将材料纳入其中的进步愿景与学校的利益相关者产生了共鸣. “The client team was excited to investigate it further with us,” Hopp says. “They hadn’t even realized wood was an option.”  

As the project evolved, there was a collective buy-in from the client, design team, and contractor, Consigli, that mass timber would be a key part of the project. “当一个人独自追求这种愿景时，这是一项更加困难的工作. Once others join you in your advocacy, things start to happen,” says WoodWorks Regional Director for New York, Momo Sun, who has been close to the project. “Evergreen benefits from a design team and client who are totally in sync, and it’s been a wonderful thing to witness and support.”  

Designing for the Community, with the Community

由于这座五层建筑的预期用途是白天作为皇冠99hg现金网设施，晚上和周末作为社区中心, community engagement was paramount to the design process. MHA worked as strategic partners with Evergreen, 领导研讨会和远景会议，以了解客户的优先事项，以及建筑如何满足这些优先事项.

MHA从内到外进行设计，首先关注学校的核心——教室. 霍普说:“我们通过与老师和学生一起玩纸牌游戏，就理想的教室建立了共识。. Along with the building’s dual purpose as a school and community hub, Evergreen plans to increase enrollment, making flexibility a priority for the design. “We identified institutional growth targets, key program elements that the school most valued, 当学校不上课时，空间有机会作为社区设施.” 

决定在设计中使用大量木材最合适的地方，导致了对其他材料的类似讨论. “The wood enables you to reframe your decision-making process, unlike if your starting point was a more traditional classroom,” explains Hopp. 他们决定采用混合解决方案，采用暴露的木天花板和暴露的混凝土地板. “Schools are a tough environment from a wear and tear standpoint. 面临的挑战是如何包括最暴露的木材，同时在持久的高流量区域保持低维护成本.”

Sustainability as a Learning Objective

亲生物设计元素越来越多地应用于建筑环境中，通过与自然的联系来提高居住者的幸福感, and a growing body of research asserts that wood is especially impactful when it comes to focus and productivity. Since students spend most of their days inside, 设计团队利用木材的亲生物元素，强调空气质量和照明，以确保为学生和员工提供理想的环境. 

“When you look at the rendering for our classroom, and you see wood in the space, it’s a completely different environment. It looks so much more positive than a typical classroom,” says Hopp. “数据清楚地表明，学生和教职员工在健康的环境中表现得更好，而木材是解决方案的一部分。. Ultimately, if we can design better-quality environments for the same price, that equals better performance, lower rates of absenteeism, etc. that’s the key metric we’re designing for.” 

建筑设计包括高性能围护结构和机械系统，其性能将高于规范的20%, providing an ideal environment for students and staff. It also maximizes natural light in the classrooms, ensuring high indoor air quality (IAQ) and acoustics.

The sustainability benefits of wood, including low embodied carbon and carbon storage, 巩固了长荣对大量木材的热情，并支持了他们的绿色精神——这是他们作为特许学校的特点，吸引了志同道合的家庭.  

Beyond the indoor programs, MHA turned outdoor spaces into gardens and gathering spots for students to relax, socialize, or study.

They’ve set a LEED Gold target, with plans for the school to be net-zero-ready. Beyond these sustainability outcomes, Evergreen intends to use the building as a teaching tool, initiating discussions about the impact of C0₂ on the world and embodied carbon in construction. “在环境主题和你正在学习的教室之间建立直接联系，会给空间带来新的意义,” shares Hopp, “It tells the students they are valued and part of something ambitious.” 

长荣对环境和社区的承诺在学校承诺中得到了最深刻的总结, which reads, “I promise to respect myself, respect others, and respect the earth’s resources.”

孙momo出席了奠基仪式，并表示整个团队的热情和凝聚力影响了项目的成功. “看到Evergreen的创始人(Sarah Brewster和Gil Bernandino)如何倡导社区和这个大型木材项目，我感到非常鼓舞人心,” says Sun. “Together with MHA, Odeh, Consigli, 扩展的团队——这个独特的团队对他们正在构建的东西和他们为谁构建的东西充满热情.”

Related Resources

Mass Timber Cost and Design Optimization Checklists, WoodWorks 

Biophlic Design Lookbook, WoodWorks & Think Wood 

Why Wood? Practical Guidance on Sustainability & Design Resources, WoodWorks

Beyond our online library of resources, our team provides free project assistance. 负责您所在地区的主管可以帮助您找到最合适的木材解决方案, determine the best code path, resolve issues, and see your project through to fruition.

WoodWorks Innovation Network

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