Heritage Middle School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

Natural light was implemented as the primary light source for all major spaces of the school including the classrooms, gymnasium, cafeteria, band room, choir room, media center and main entrance corridor. Utilizing north- or south-facing roof monitors in each of the spaces, the daylighting strategy was designed to satisfy two-thirds of the lighting needs during the school day. Carefully spaced translucent fabric baffles eliminate glare and distribute light evenly.Of all the sustainable design strategies, the natural lighting is the most apparent because it is present throughout the school, creating a superior learning environment. It gives the students a connection to the natural environment. An innovative strategy within each classroom allowed the TV monitors and projection screen to be intentionally darkened with integrated architectural elements, while still allowing full natural light to reach the rest of the room. This particular design tactic eliminated the need to install shades to darken the whole room during overhead projections. The rainwater collection system is designed to collect over 2.8 million gallons of water annually for flushing toilets and urinals. The water is stored in five underground tanks for a total of 125,000 gallons. To enhance students’ appreciation of the importance of the water in the world and the positive impact of their rainwater collection system on our water resources, a gauge and graphics explaining the system are displayed in the main entrance. This allows students to evaluate how much water the school is saving.A 500 gallon solar water heating system is located on the roof of the building to provide the primary hot water needs of the cafeteria. It is visible from the bus drop off and football field. It serves as a daily reminder of energy issues, as students experience first hand how the system works. Data from the system is sent to the main entrance where itis displayed in the same demonstration panel as the rainwater collection system.A 2.5 kW photovoltaic system located on the bus drop-off canopy was designed to create a real life example of how solar energy can be used in a practical manner. The panels are highly visible and the students can see the panels from below as they walk under the canopy to enter the building. The panels are semi-transparent so students can see the construction to assist in the study of PV Technology. Recycled materials such as carpet, VCT floor tile, athletic equipment and the wetland boardwalk deck material were incorporated to remind students that the materials we recycle can be used for practical purposes. A waste management plan was used during construction that also enabled students going to the adjacent elementary school to see that recycling encompasses more than just paper, plastic and glass.The school features about an acre constructed wetland. The wetland was also designed to serve as an outdoor learning center. Walkways lead from the school to a boardwalk crossing over the water to an island in the center of the wetland. A pathway on the island allows students to study wetland soils and fauna. These features provide students with teaching tools to experience and better understand how wetlands are essential to our ecological systems.

Educator Narrative

I think the best features are the natural light and courtyard commons areas.
The skylights allow natural light in all classrooms, which promotes a
healthier atmosphere. In addition, we had a situation when electricity was
lost due to a power failure in the community. Our teachers were able to
continue teaching since we still had enough light in classrooms to read, etc.
I feel that natural light not only improves student performance, and from a
behavior monitoring standpoint, it’s much nicer to watch a movie with a little
bit of light so you can still see all the students. It’s also nice to be able
to turn off the lights and still have enough light for regular instruction (a
break from flourescent lights never hurt anyone!)

Another feature that I adore is that there is a bathroom just outside my classroom door. That is so helpful in crunch time between classes. Also, I love the space in the bandroom. I can seat 58 band students comfortably, and still have space for percussion in the back. I also
LOVE the door to the auditorium from the bandroom - the only thing I would
change is make it a 42″ door instead of standard size to fit large instruments
through.

I like the aesthetic quality of the courtyards and they have been functional
for student groups to socialize and to conduct team meetings. Our PTA
purchased beautiful patio furniture for the courtyard adjoining the staff
lounge as their gift for Teacher Appreciation Week.

From a lessons-learned standpoint, when we had electrical failure, we couldn’t flush toilets. With natural light, it is possible to keep the children in school during a black out, and therefore, there needs to be a way for the tiolets to keep working.