First LEED Platinum-certified Montessori School in Illinois

In partnership with Chiaravalle Montessori School and Bulley & Andrews, CannonDesign is pleased to announce that Chiaravalle’s North Wing Addition has achieved LEED Platinum certification.

By Stuart Brodsky, Cannon Design May 24, 2016

When replacing their 60-year-old gymnasium annex, Chiaravalle Montessori, a PK-8 school located in Evanston, Ill., a northern suburb of Chicago with a population of roughly 75,000, seized a rare opportunity to design a Montessori building to meet the needs of their Montessori program. Community-based planning served as a catalyst to build student-centered learning environments, which celebrate the Chiaravalle community and Montessori curriculum. Designed with abundant natural light and a focus on bringing nature inside, the new 19,000-sq-ft North Wing expands Chiaravalle’s programming options in the planned environment, offering more space for movement, collaborative learning, community gathering, and visual and performing arts. The new North Wing provides a central entrance, which offers welcoming spaces for parents and students to mingle. Adjacent "Gathering Stairs" support group and independent time and provide seating for performances and events. The Da Vinci Studio integrates art with science, technology, and mathematics to help students experience the connectedness of these essential disciplines. Sustainable features include natural daylighting throughout the building, photovoltaic panels, a green roof that efficiently manages stormwater, and a geothermal system that includes a well field of 15 wells, more than 500 ft deep.

Sustainability by the numbers:

  • Consumes 50.8% less energy than ASHRAE 90.1 2007 baseline
  • 7-kW roof-mounted photovoltaic array produces more than 5% of the building’s energy
  • Vegetated roof covers roughly 30% of flat-roof area
  • Plumbing fixtures save 42.5% of water from baseline
  • Recycled materials make up 42.4% of materials used on the project
  • 79.4% of core learning spaces are daylit
  • High-efficiency lighting and occupancy sensor control are 21% more efficient than code.

Congratulations to Chiaravalle Montessori on achieving their goal of becoming the first LEED Platinum-certified Montessori School in Illinois!

Montessori learning shapes the building

When replacing its 60-year-old gymnasium annex, Chiaravalle Montessori seized a rare opportunity to design a Montessori building to meet the needs of its Montessori program. Our education design team helped Chiaravalle explore ways the replacement wing could express the school’s core Montessori philosophy. Designed with abundant natural light and a focus on bringing nature inside, the new 19,000-sq-ft North Wing expands Chiaravalle’s programming options for every child, offering more space for movement, collaborative learning, visual and performing arts, and community gathering. The project also includes 8,100-sq-ft of renovation including a second-floor corridor, the area surrounding the link to the new building, and the former fourth-floor library, which was converted to teacher resource space.

The North Wing also provides a central entrance on the first floor, which offers welcoming spaces for parents and students to mingle. Adjacent "gathering stairs" support group and independent time and provide seating for events. The Da Vinci Studio on the second floor integrates art and design with the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to help students experience the connectedness of these essential disciplines. A new gymnasium on the third floor doubles the size of the previous facility and accommodates multiple functions simultaneously, allowing toddlers to exercise motor skills while a sports team practices.

Chiaravalle Montessori is the first LEED Platinum-certified Montessori School in Illinois. Sustainable features include natural daylighting throughout the building, photovoltaic panels, a green roof that efficiently manages stormwater, and a geothermal system funded by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

Stuart Brodsky’s career has primarily focused on PK-12 educational design, and he is a member of the Central Region’s PK-12 leadership team. Stu values the long-term client relationships he’s developed and opportunities to shepherd projects from inception to completion. This article originally appeared on www.cannondesign.com. CannonDesign is a CFE Media content partner.