Project Type: Institutional

• Living Building Challenge Project
• Living Community Challenge Project
• Net Positive Energy
• Net Positive Water

A Living Building Challenge School finds a new home in Saco to inspire generations of students to be stewards of the environment through science and immersive hands-on learning.

The Ecology School is an organization that runs educational programs for kids of varying ages. Their goal is to transform how they think about science, food, the environment, and themselves through joyful, hands-on learning.

When they secured their new property in Saco at Riverbend Farm, they needed a very conscientious team of designers to meet the challenge of their aspirations – to create a campus that embodies everything they stand for as stewards of the environment. They interviewed three prominent architects who are the foremost leaders in the world of sustainable design in Maine. They hired all of them!

This may sound crazy, and it might be (just a little), but as nature thrives on diversity, so too does the built environment. It was thought that this “Ecology of Architecture” team could completely put their egos aside, share the workload, and put forward their best efforts together to create Maine’s most sustainable learning campus on their newly acquired property at Riverbend farm. They would meet the Living Building Challenge together, and instead of one architecture firm becoming an expert in executing Living Building Challenge projects, there would be THREE who would then share the knowledge they gained with the rest of the building industry at a rate three times faster. This reflects the Ecology School’s philosophy of sharing, promoting and spreading knowledge and passion for ecology conservation. Thus, Kaplan Thompson Architects became the principal architects (and architects of record) with Simons Architects as the design lead for the Commons building, and Briburn as the design lead for the Dormitory building and the energy modelers for the whole project.

When it became clear that the solar panels for the project (712 of them) would be consolidated on the Commons roof and in a field-mounted array, the positioning and orientation of the Dormitory building became more flexible.The Dormitory was tucked along an old wind row (tree-line between agricultural fields) reserving the field to the west of the building for hands-on agricultural plots and edible landscaping while giving the occupants a sensation that they reside among the sheltering trees.

• PHIUS+ 2015 Passive House certified
• Maine Advance Building certified
• Net Zero

The nation’s first certified passive house high school. Designed to foster creativity, inspire curiosity, demonstrate environmental stewardship, and honor the learning spirit within its occupants.

Located on a pastoral property consisting of over seventy acres in Freeport Maine, the new high school building completes the campus by bringing students together from grades K through 12. The new 11,400 square foot building, built for 80 students, includes five flexible classrooms, a student center, conference and meeting rooms, faculty offices and a great room that can be used for movement, education and morning meetings.

The building design reflects the Waldorf principles for flexibility, abundant natural night, use of color, natural materials and anthroposophic design – creating organic expressionistic designs that cultivate a sensory experience. The simple volumes have been articulated to create visual interest, views, shading and improved natural lighting. The bend in the building reduces the length of the common corridors and defines a central place for lockers and spontaneous conversation. The timber framed portico adds shade and protection from the elements while creating an exterior room for teaching, eating and conversing; and the dormers on the roof bring natural light into the center of the building.

Energy conservation and sustainable design were essential components of the new high school. This project reached beyond the goal for net zero energy demand to pursue the highest energy standard available and to become the nation’s first high school to receive passive house certification. In addition to PHIUS + 2015 certification (Passive House Institute US), the new building has received Maine Advanced Buildings certification from Efficiency Maine, certifying that the building is at least 30% more energy efficient than Maine’s minimum energy code requirements. We achieved this through passive solar design, robust building envelopes, efficient HVAC systems, daylighting controls and shading.