Redding School of the Arts

Beginning with the vision of a dual mandate for a technologically robust and flexible structure combined with a healthy and inclusive place to learn and thrive, it was clear that Trilogy would be the ideal partner to bring this new school campus to life. Because the school would be anchored by a world class model of education, we knew we must be equally attuned to creating a perfect compliment for this immersive program, and as such, were determined to set new standards in education architecture by being the first school campus in the world to secure LEED for Schools Platinum certification.

The 77,000 square foot building includes classrooms, art rooms, music and dance rooms, a library and information center, a cooking classroom, science lab and a technology lab. The expansive outdoor playground is a flexible space that provides opportunities for individualized exploration and learning, with the development of fine motor skills. The entire campus embraces the principles of biophilic design by using every opportunity to bring the “outdoors inside”. Every area is an opportunity to learn, disguised as play.

The Challenge

Despite submitting our design in under forty-five days, for a client whose stated goal was LEED Platinum certification, we were able to craft an award winning environment that maintains a sense of wonder for children’s learning, and provides flexible spaces that serve the community at large. We worked tirelessly to ensure construction on the site commenced before our design was even fully documented, in order to complete the project in time for the coming school year. Very happy children and their families were welcomed to the new school in the outdoor/indoor auditorium in 2011. The project has since become a part of the curriculum and the surrounding community as a “tool for teaching green”.

Sustainability Features

First school in the world to be Certified Platinum under LEED for Schools 2009
LEED v4 for New Construction LEED Certified
Accomplished Net Zero Energy Usage
Photovoltaic system provides over 60% of total energy needs
Solar water heaters
Wind turbine power generator
175,000-gallon underground rainwater collection/storage tank for summer irrigation.
Architecturally designed to utilize 36% less energy.
The landscape was designed with drought-tolerant plants to minimize water usage by 50%.
By selecting water-efficient plumbing fixtures, indoor water usage was reduced by 35%.
An advanced energy monitoring system is installed on the project to track all the energy usage in the building.
Over 75% of the construction waste on the project was diverted.

Project

Client: The McConnell Foundation
Size: 77,000 square feet
Cost: $30 million
Location: Redding, California
Date Completed: 2011

Awards

2011 Beyond Green Honor Award
2012 Learning by Design Grand Prize
2012 Engineering News-Record Award of Merit
2012 School Designer Silver Award
2012 A.I.A. Design Excellence Award
2013 U.S. Dept. of Education Green Ribbon
2013 GE Edison Environmental Design Award