Rendering of The Wellington Elementary School - Belmont, MA
The project includes the demolition of an existing two and three-story structure and the construction of a new building configured into two buildings connected by a one-story core that houses the administrative offices, media center, and music rooms.
Jonathan Levi Architects is the lead architect for the project and Burt Hill is the associated architect.
The town of Belmont intends to produce a certified Mass. High-Performance Green School as defined by the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA), who is providing a portion of the funding for this project.
The resulting design incorporates numerous innovative and sustainable concepts including the use of geothermal wells for heating and cooling, high efficiency mechanical systems, and significant window areas to increase daylighting.
These green components are designed to provide an enhanced environment for students and staff, decrease operating costs, and reduce the school's impact on the natural environment.
Demolition of the existing school is underway with the new school construction scheduled to be completed in July 2011. During the construction of the new school, the current Wellington Elementary students will be temporarily located in a modular classroom building on the Belmont High School site.
"Our work at Wellington Belmont Elementary will exemplify Skanska's ability to complete a complex, demolition and high-quality reconstruction in a K-12 environment under both tight budget and schedule parameters," said Paul Hewins, general manager and executive vice president at Skanska USA.
"This project aligns with our corporate commitment to sustainability. We are seeing many more similar opportunities on the horizon as many Massachusetts' towns look to upgrade their schools to be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly."