8.-+Sustainability-+Project

= Roy Lee Walker Elementary School=

by Leonardo Jerez and Adrian Lobo
Is located in the Hidden Creek development in McKinney, Texas and serves to 585 young learners. Walker Elementary is a unique environment for students and staff, to learn and work together. Is the first sustainable design school in the state of Texas.

In the entrance we can see a spacious parking area that offers benefits to all school staff and visitors. Also, the pedestrian entrance is a spacious area with big glass doors that allows the light pass.

Lighting is the school’s key ingredient. There vertical monitors in each room to "scoop" the sunlight to provide natural daylight throughout the building and with help of Light and motion detectors is monitored energy usage.

In this structure we can find wide and long corridors that allow a better mobility for students and teachers. The hallway is very illuminated, very comfortable and is connecting all the school spaces, in a good way.

Even the offices have a good design, spacious and functional and the administrative personal has the opportunity of attend visitors in a relaxing place. The library has a very big gamma of books, but that is not enough. Also in this area we can see a computer that offers more information opportunities to the students. The color combination helps students to concentrate in the investigations.

Gymnasium, cafeteria and teachers’ lounge, are involves to all the school system, space has a good distribution in order to offer better conditions. In all the building we can look recycled materials that minimized construction waste.

The innovative design of the classroom, provides easy access to hallway corridors where the computers are located, is an outdoor teaching space. You will see students utilizing the hallway space as an extension of the classroom as they work in cooperative learning groups, investigate and research using the Internet, read, or work on a project Interactive, relevant learning is one key to student success.

Six cisterns surrounding the school provide storage for up to 68,000 gallons of collected rainwater. The school is designed to collect all rainwater that hits the roof. This rainwater is used to irrigate the landscaping and drastically reduces monthly water bills. A series of solar panels supplies the majority of the school’s hot water needs.

Additional features include two sundials, a water habitat, natural landscaping, student garden areas, sustainable building materials, and newly designed indoor air quality technology.

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