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The new Summerfield Elementary School incorporates the latest in efficient building design to ensure cost effective operations for the district. As conceptualized, the school features a farm-themed design incorporating high-performance features that qualify it for LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. Summerfield is the first public school in New Jersey to receive the certification, one received by only a few other public schools in the country.
Aside from traditional academic spaces, the school includes a garden, other outdoor activities and an open-air amphitheatre at the rear of a cafetorium that is accessible to both the students and the community alike. The facility is 3-stories, 105,000-square-feet and consists of 34 classrooms that can accommodate 550 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5.
The design of the project maximizes the efficiency of operation, ease of maintenance, water conservation, indoor air quality, fuel cost savings, recycling and use of renewable resources. When compared to energy costs for a conventional school, Summerfield will realize a 32% savings on annual energy costs and 35% savings on annual water costs because of its green sustainable design. Innovative features include under-floor air distribution and onsite geothermal wells. The district uses the building as a “3-D textbook” for educating students. For example, small sections of the building’s structure are exposed in order to observe various designs and materials in use. This facility is a destination for intra-district field trips and provides special programming activities and learning experiences for all elementary grade Neptune students.
Learning By Design 2007
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