Redding School of the Arts

Our ethos at Trilogy Architecture is to embrace every opportunity to design with the highest environmental standards. For this ground-breaking Mandarin/English Montessori K-12 school campus in Redding, CA, we were tasked to conceptualize a design that merges advanced technology with an inclusive, student-centered environment. From the outset, our vision was clear: create a flexible, future-forward learning space grounded in green building principles. The result was the world’s first school to achieve LEED for Schools Platinum certification under the 2009 standard. Designed and documented in under 45 days to meet an ambitious construction timeline, the 77,000-square-foot campus features classrooms, labs, art and music studios, a culinary space, and a library—all connected through biophilic design elements that bring nature indoors and support whole-child development.

*The entrance to Redding School of The Arts Campus*

A Model for Sustainable School Design

Built as a model for sustainable school design, the campus integrates a photovoltaic system that supplies over 60% of its energy needs, along with solar water heating, a wind turbine, and a 175,000-gallon rainwater harvesting tank. The building uses 36% less energy than conventional schools and significantly reduces water usage through drought-tolerant landscaping and high-efficiency plumbing. Over 75% of construction waste was diverted, and an energy monitoring system tracks performance in real time.

Teaching Sustainability

More than a place to learn, this net-zero energy school has become a community hub and a living curriculum for environmental awareness—demonstrating how sustainable architecture can educate, inspire, and lead the way in Redding and throughout Northern California.

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