Ignacio Elementary School has been certified as LEED Gold for energy efficiency, Superintendent Rocco Fuschetto announced at the Nov. 12 school board meeting. The school also received a citation from the architects' professional organization AIA Colorado South Section.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The certification is through the U.S. Green Building Council and is based on a point system for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.
IES serves kindergarten through fifth grade. The previous grade 4-6 intermediate school was gutted and rebuilt with a new classroom wing and cafeteria/commons area in 2013. The project included major energy efficiency upgrades including a geothermal exchange heating and cooling system, a roof-mounted 50 kW photovoltiac array, LED lighting throughout, and low-water native plants for landscaping.
Existing and new classrooms were designed as flexible learning spaces with enhanced acoustics, solar daylight tubes in the roof, expansive windows, and the ability to accommodate current and future technology upgrades. Students moved in to the building in February 2014.
IES was the second of three schools in the district's $50 million bond issue project. IES also was partially funded by a Colorado Department of Education BEST grant. One of the BEST requirements is the LEED Gold certification. The bond issue schools were designed and construction overseen by the RTA architecture firm based in Colorado Springs.
Fuschetto said the middle school was built to LEED Gold standards, but the district didn't go through the process to get certification. IMS school also received an AIA Colorado citation.
The school district says implementation of LEED sustainability standards is important to reduce the building's environmental impact, reduce operating costs, and especially to create an environment that produces happier, healthier, and more productive students.
High-performing facilities can improve comfort, promote learning, and advance productivity, while saving energy and doing what is right for the community, the district said in a press release, adding that RTA chooses to live by these principles because it helps create exceptional architecture.
