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West Brazos Junior High School in Brazoria, Texas, exemplifies sustainable architecture with LEED certification, community engagement, and innovative learning environments. Explore the eco-conscious design elements and educational opportunities at this award-winning school.
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2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture West Brazos Junior High School Brazoria, Texas New Construction Award Type SHW Group
West Brazos Junior High School Main Exterior Image
Library IMAGE Community Environment: The school was envisioned as a LEED certified building that would be educating the next generation of sustainability natives. The district is also committed to LEED goals as a way of thinking and has incorporated those guidelines into the design and use of the school. The school maintains several spaces that are open for use by and for the surrounding community. The library and computer lab are open and accessible to the community after school hours for adult/continuing education. The 53 acre site was left mostly undisturbed and is protected natural habitat for local native species. This fit naturally into the districts commitment to sustainability and to the future of their community.
Computer lab IMAGE Community Environment: Continued The school is used by three distinct geographic and socio-economic communities, gathering the students together and educating them to lead the way to the future. This building is leading the way for the district and the community, it has started green initiatives at the districts other facilities as well as in the surrounding community.
Main street IMAGE Learning Environment: The main corridor is a central circulation spine that links multiple learning pods within the school. This creates a clear layout that eases way finding and enables ease of supervision. Clerestory lighting along the length of the spine floods the space with natural lighting creating a calmer environment in a space that is historically fast-paced and hectic. It also permits light to penetrate deep into the core areas of the building. Flexibility is a key component to this design. The school is organized into a series of three “academic houses” and one “science house”. The houses can be organized by grade level or by curriculum (departmentalized) and each house has a flex room to accommodate changing needs. The “flex” space in the corridor area connecting the classrooms serve as break-out areas for teaching and collaboration.
Science lab IMAGE Learning Environment: Continued The stage faces the cafetorium and doubles as the black box theater and drama classroom, providing dual use out of an typically underutilized and expensive space. Sustainable design features are intentionally exposed and highlighted within a building designed to teach its’ end users. External shading devices, preserved site features (wetlands, native landscape and trees) and consistent visual connections from inside to outside reinforce the facility’s environmental consciousness. Signage located throughout the building explains the functions of the building and provides a teaching tool to help integrate the sustainable concepts (energy conservation, sunlight control, environmental consciousness of our impact on future generations) into the teaching curriculum.
Exterior materials IMAGE Physical Environment Material choices (masonry, metal panels, glass, stucco) are low maintenance and respond to the surrounding environment. Natural beige, brown and rust colors allow the building to blend with the natural beauty of the heavily wooded site. Stucco & metal panels compliment the masonry to provide an economical structure without compromising durability & maintenance. The economical and durable materials reduce long-term costs for the school district. Energy Star roofing & reflective paving reduces heat gain & heat islands. Inexpensive shading devices reduce heat load on the building while enabling natural light in over 90% of inhabited spaces.
Interior materials IMAGE Physical Environment – Continued Energy waste is minimized in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design. The mechanical systems are zoned and digitally controlled to only use energy as required by the operational needs of the facility instead of consuming energy. The electrical systems have automatic shut-off on the light fixtures that minimize waste of electricity and the lighting system is designed to eliminate light pollution to the neighboring sites and night skies. The plumbing systems minimize waste through the use of automatic flush valves, metered faucets and low flow fixtures. All of these features helped to make this the first LEED certified public Junior High School in the state of Texas.
Commons IMAGE Planning Process: The process began by evaluating the district’s existing facilities, demographics, and growth to define the need and the optimal solution. The Architects led the district’s bond planning efforts to ensure the districts’ vision of future projects remained intact. Multiple sites were evaluated and an interactive 5-day design process with administration, staff, and students was conducted in the district prior to the school bond election. During the project, the architect facilitated multiple meetings with administration, staff and the community to develop and confirm the design. The architect returned to the user groups at multiple stages during the process to review and review and review. The architect designed with the philosophy that “instruction drives construction” enabling the curriculum goals to derive the physical response.
The reason why IMAGE Planning Process: Continued The staff and administration were active partners in the design process keeping the architect on track and considering flexibility and adaptability for the future.
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Data
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2008 Project Details
