PAUL ROBESON COMMUNITY SCHOOL AWARDED U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL'S LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN GOLD CERTIFICATION

July 3, 2019 – Trenton, NJ – The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) today announced that the New Brunswick Paul Robeson Community Theme School for the Arts addition/renovation project was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification.

The USGBC LEED® Green Building Rating SystemTM is a voluntary standard that defines highperformance buildings, which are healthier, more environmentally responsible, and more efficient and sustainable structures. The high-performance features of the Paul Robeson Community Theme School for the Arts qualified it for the LEED Gold certification.

"We are proud of the collaboration between the SDA, our design-build team and the New Brunswick School District that has resulted in the delivery of a school facility that meets the important USGBC- LEED® standards," said Manuel Da Silva, SDA Interim Chief Executive Officer. "New Jersey's school construction program is committed to delivering healthy, energyefficient schools that provide effective learning environments and enhance the community and lives of students for generations."

In pursuit of this certification, the design builder incorporated different LEED® elements into the design. Some of the LEED® elements of the project include solar panels on the roof, an energyefficient building envelope, a 34 percent reduction in water usage by utilizing water efficiency equipment and bathroom fixtures, reduced noise levels throughout the building, use of lowemitting materials in the construction and use of recycled materials for the project.

"Our collective dedication to education, sustainability and smart growth yielded a beautiful 21st century learning center for our students to learn and grow," said New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill. "This award is an exciting acknowledgement of the efforts of the team assembled by the SDA and the New Brunswick Board of Education, Superintendent Johnson and his administrative staff."

To ensure sustainable facility designs, SDA requires that all new schools and additions are LEED® certified. SDA works closely with school districts and design consultants to achieve the highest possible level of certification based upon the unique opportunities presented by each project.

"Our school community takes great pride in this exceptional facility, which – thanks to its sustainable and efficient design and construction – has now received a LEED gold certification," said Dr. Aubrey Johnson, Superintendent of New Brunswick Public Schools.

For the Robeson School project, the SDA delivered a 60,500 square-foot, three-story addition that provided a new multi-purpose room, 30 new classrooms, four small group instruction rooms, and two Basic Skills/ESL classrooms. The 59,400 square-foot existing school was also renovated. A fire sprinkler system was added and renovations/rearrangements were completed in the food service area, media center, nurse’s office, main office and student services suite. Providing more than 400 additional seats with the school addition, the project benefits approximately 900 students currently in Kindergarten to 8th grade.

Hall Construction Co., Inc. was the design-builder for this $48.5 million project. As part of the design-build contract, PS&S Engineering, PC was the architect. GREYHAWK North America LLC was the construction manager. To date, the SDA has invested more than $316 million in completed projects in New Brunswick, including five capital projects.

About the New Jersey Schools Development Authority

The SDA is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 SDA Districts. Its current portfolio of active projects is valued at approximately $2 billion – including the Capital Project portfolio, emergent projects and Regular Operating District grants. Since the program’s inception, the SDA has provided funding for and management oversight of more than 850 completed school facilities projects in SDA Districts and has executed more than 5,400 grants for Regular Operating Districts throughout the State of New Jersey. For more information about the SDA, please visit our website at: www.njsda.gov or follow us on social media at: Facebook; Instagram; LinkedIn; or Twitter.