Category: design

Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

We are thrilled to announce that our design of the new Josiah Quincy Upper School for the City of Boston has recently earned LEED Platinum certification! It is only the second publicly-funded school project in Massachusetts, after our design of the Saugus Middle High School, to earn this designation. 

This significant achievement reflects the school’s high standards for efficiency, resiliency, and environmental health as one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools initiative.

Fossil Fuel Free & Efficient

The building is powered entirely by electricity with efficient heat pump technology, meaning no fossil fuels are used for heating, cooling, or cooking in the school. A well-insulated envelope and optimal window-to-wall ratio minimize energy use from heating and cooling, while most academic spaces have north- or south-facing windows to create optimal daylighting conditions and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Daylight controls and vacancy sensors in classrooms and offices further limit energy expenditure by automatically dimming lights when there is sufficient daylight and turning lights off when a space is unoccupied.

Indoor Air Quality

With few buildable sites for a new school building in Boston’s dense downtown core, JQUS was conceived as a high-rise school on a constrained urban plot adjacent to two highways. From the outset, mitigating the effects of the site’s air pollution was key to creating a healthy and successful learning environment. An efficient displacement ventilation system, enhanced air filtering, and intakes located on the school’s roof and away from the most significant pollution sources assures that clean outdoor air is supplied to all interior spaces.

Design for Equity & Well-Being

JQUS is a middle high school with a 96% minority student body. The school’s auditorium, black box theater, gym, and media center are designed to serve all students in grades 6-12 as well as the community for after-hours events. Despite the constraints of the school’s less than one-acre urban site, the design fosters a connection to nature and prioritizes student well-being through the design of an accessible landscaped rooftop. Complete with an outdoor STEM classroom, gardens, and walking paths, the rooftop provides space for movement, hands-on project work, and mindful contemplation. Gardens with native species of meadow grasses and hardy wildflowers connect students with the local ecology and student planting beds provide hands-on experience growing food.

Resiliency & Water Conservation

All critical mechanical equipment is raised above the first floor to ensure the building’s continued operation and mitigate risk in a potential flood or large storm event. JQUS is designed to preserve groundwater levels with a stormwater detention system under the building that recharges stormwater back into the ground. In addition, the plantings on the roof help to slow stormwater runoff, reducing the chance that drains would be overloaded in a storm event, and low-flow fixtures throughout the building conserve about 240,000 gallons of water annually.

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides investment and production tax credits for building owners who invest in clean energy systems. These credits are meant to incentivize building clean energy systems in newly constructed buildings, and in existing buildings transitioning to clean energy design.

Now, for the first time, tax-exempt and governmental entities that do not owe federal income taxes are able to file directly for tax credits. For decades these tax credits have been available to for-profit businesses transitioning to the clean energy economy themselves or assisting non-profit entities in that transition. This is a significant change for municipalities building or upgrading their school or other facilities.

HMFH has a long history of partnering with municipalities to achieve their sustainability goals. Now we are able to help our clients take advantage of the IRA tax credit. Recently we helped the Town of Westborough, MA secure a $1.8 million tax credit for the ground-source heat pump system at Annie E. Fales Elementary School—the first energy net-positive elementary school in New England—and we are working with Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School to file for tax credits related to electrochromic glazing, three different PV systems, and potentially for EV charging. HMFH is committed to making the design and construction of buildings with a minimal carbon footprint affordable for all cities and towns seeking to create healthier and more sustainable learning environments.

“The partnership with HMFH Architects has been extremely advantageous. The Town of Westborough is excited that the Annie E. Fales Elementary School is the first municipal school project in Massachusetts to receive the financial benefit of the IRA tax credits. We hope that this expanded tax credit program continues to offer non-profit entities the same financial benefit as has existed for for-profit entities to enable more sustainable building projects.”

Stephen Doret | Chair, Westborough School Building Committee

Planning for these tax credits—and managing eligibility requirements—can seem complex and burdensome, especially for municipalities already stretched for administrative resources. HMFH helps navigate the steps by explaining the opportunity for the credits during the initial cost/benefit analysis that informs design-phase decision-making. We then work closely with municipalities and construction partners to monitor the process from early conceptual design through post-construction when taxes are filed.

In a time where construction costs continue to rise, IRA tax credits can help municipalities get faster paybacks for sustainable systems they desire. Below are examples of general tax credit highlights:

The value of tax credits

 

Typical of tax-related regulations, there are number of variables that determine the potential value of the tax credits. The math is based on accruing percentage levels based on meeting various criteria. The percentages are applied to both the soft (design) and hard (construction) costs. The base tax credits starts at 6% of the eligible costs and this number can rise to as much as 70%. Most projects will end up close to a 30% tax credit, but if domestically produced content criteria are met that could increase it to 40%, and if the community meets certain income criteria, that could increase it to 50%. If funds to pay for the work are sourced from tax-exempt bonds, there will be a 15% “haircut” or reduction of the tax credit to reflect that original savings in financing costs.

Timeline

The process for tax credits typically runs in parallel with the design phase associated with a project’s schedule. While the timeline for every new building or new system is driven by unique requirements, it is important to remember that no credits will be paid until the clean energy systems are installed and in service and the final tax documents are filed.

Despite the opportunities for substantial tax credits, some municipalities simply may not have the up-front resources to take advantage of them. This does not mean they need be shut out of cost-saving opportunities related to investing in clean energy systems. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) allow municipalities to partner with companies who manage the design, construction, and operation of these systems end-to-end in collaboration with the design team. The contracted company offering the PPA then takes the tax credit for itself and sells energy (or an agreed to dollar value savings) directly to the municipality, often selling any excess energy generated by the building on the open market. It’s a profit generator for the PPA company and helps communities who may have early cash-flow challenges keep energy costs low. The true benefit of the IRA is that non-profits and municipalities can now take advantage of the full potential savings – both for installation and operation of these energy efficient systems.

HMFH can help guide communities through a process to determine appropriate systems and mitigate financial risk for building owners wishing to design more climate resilient schools with a reduced carbon footprint and lowered, long-term energy costs.

Sources:

  1. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/inflation-reduction-act
  2. https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-qualifying-advanced-energy-project-48c-credit

Arlington High School Phase Three Opens

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Arlington High School Phase Three Opens

With the completion of phase three, Arlington High School‘s new state-of-the-art athletics wing and black box theater are open to students and community members! The school is now fully occupied, with only site work remaining as the final step in this multi-phase project.

Central Spine

Arlington High School’s central spine is an activity hub and dynamic concourse connecting the school’s two main entrances. With the completion of phase three, the spine now links the school’s four wings—STEAM, humanities, performing arts, and athletics—with public-facing spaces including a café, auditorium, black box theater, and cafeteria. The central spine welcomes students and community members alike with a student-designed mural along the gymnasium wall, showcasing student creativity and expression.

Athletics Wing

The athletics wing includes a new fitness center, gender-neutral locker rooms, and three gymnasiums of varying sizes to accommodate the school’s 30 athletic teams and robust physical education program. A large wood-floor, light-filled gymnasium can host school-wide assemblies, and with a full basketball court, walking track, and bleacher seating for 2,100 people, supports a range of other school and community events. Unique elements in the alternative rubber-floor gymnasiums include an indoor climbing wall and batting cage.

Black Box Theater

The new black box theater is a double-height, flexible performance space with theatrical lighting and sound equipment, catwalks, and stage flooring. With retractable seating for 150 people, the black box supports a range of programs, from one-act plays and productions to daily drama classes, expanding Arlington’s performing arts opportunities. The stone entrance portico of the Arlington High School’s 1914 Fusco Building was repurposed as the entrance to the black box theater, paying tribute to the school’s history.

“The new building has a college-like feel that helps me be more independent and motivated. All the light and open space is very inspiring.”

Student | Arlington High School

This fall, new athletic fields, parking, and site work will complete Arlington High School’s four-phase construction! Follow the AHS building project website for frequent updates.

Josiah Quincy Upper School Opens and Brings New Opportunities to Boston’s Chinatown Neighborhood!

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Josiah Quincy Upper School Opens and Brings New Opportunities to Boston’s Chinatown Neighborhood!

Boston’s newest public school building is officially open, with learning in full swing for 650 students across grades 6-12. Located in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, the Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) advances the City’s goals for high-level, inclusive education and environmental sustainability, providing Boston Public Schools students with state-of-the-art learning facilities that also serve the local community.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony brought city, state, and school officials, project team members, and the JQUS community together to celebrate the new middle high school and the many opportunities it will bring for both Boston students and residents. As one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools, JQUS is leading the way with a design that prioritizes equity, sustainability, and a community focus. The school is also on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification, further cementing its status as a model for resilient, sustainable architecture.

“If you think about a school as the physical embodiment of all the talent, imagination, and possibility of the young people it serves — that is this building!”

Michelle Wu | Mayor, City of Boston

One focal point of the school’s environment- and community-focused design is the new rooftop green space. HMFH’s design transformed the high-rise school’s rooftop into an outdoor learning oasis, complete with a STEM classroom, native plantings, walking paths, and seating areas. Located near two highways on just one acre of land, JQUS’s site in a dense, urban environment initially presented challenges. However, the rooftop brings new life to Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, which has the lowest green space per capita in the City. The benefits of this landscaped roof will not only positively impact the student body but the entire neighborhood community who can also experience health and climate benefits. Specifically, the green roof will help reduce urban heat-island effect and stormwater runoff, increase biodiversity, and mitigate air pollution from the highway.

HMFH’s nature-focused design extends beyond the rooftop. Inside the school, south-facing classrooms with expansive windows deliver ample daylight to students, while an innovative HVAC system draws in filtered air to ensure a healthy interior environment with optimal air quality in all classrooms.

Notably, the all-electric, zero-carbon middle high school will be a resource for the greater community as well as its student body, allowing public access to community-oriented shared spaces on the first and second floors, including the cafeteria, media center, black box theater, auditorium, and gymnasium.

“This state-of-the-art facility represents our unwavering commitment to providing a world-class education in an environment that nurtures and inspires.”

Mary Skipper | Superintendent, Boston Public Schools

While the ribbon-cutting signifies JQUS’s official opening, students had returned to school a week earlier and have since been enjoying the new facilities, including collaborative project areas, modern labs, small group workrooms, breakout areas, and flexible furniture designed to support a variety of learning modes. With its full range of educational amenities and International Baccalaureate program offerings, its emphasis on sustainable, healthy, and welcoming environments, and its public-facing spaces for community use, the Josiah Quincy Upper School will be an often-used and highly valued resource by both students and the surrounding neighborhood.

Middle High Schools Help Communities Make the Most of Educational and Financial Resources

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Middle High Schools Help Communities Make the Most of Educational and Financial Resources

When faced with replacing or modernizing aging middle and high schools, communities must grapple with significant financial and educational challenges. In many cases, particularly where existing schools are small, it makes sound financial and educational sense to combine academic programs into a single facility. Below are a few of the strategies that HMFH incorporates when working with school districts and communities to design co-located middle high schools.

Efficiency Through Shared Spaces

Designing middle high schools creates the opportunity for districts to share essential spaces, thereby eliminating the duplication of facilities such as:

  • Kitchens
  • Gymnasiums, alternative physical education spaces, fitness rooms, outdoor sports fields and tracks
  • Theaters and auditoriums
  • Music spaces including chorus and band rooms
  • Media centers or libraries

If these facilities were built separately, each school would need its own, leading to higher construction and operational costs. Additionally, by combining the schools, expensive but often infrequently used spaces such as theaters or auditoriums can achieve cost effectiveness simply by increasing utilization rates. In these cases, middle school students also benefit from having access to sophisticated performance and assembly spaces not typically available in standalone middle school buildings.

Operational, Environmental, and Logistical Improvements

Beyond construction cost savings, co-locating middle and high schools results in operational efficiencies as well. A shared mechanical plant, for instance, lowers ongoing facility-wide expenses, requires fewer personnel to manage its services, and leads to a significant reduction in long-term expenditures. Equally valuable, shared HVAC and electrical systems almost certainly reduce a facility’s overall energy expenditure, creating opportunities for minimizing the school’s environmental impact.

Combining middle and high schools also allows for more efficient transportation to and from the facility. Buses can serve both student populations, reducing the number of trips required while lowering transportation costs and reducing fuel consumption.

Educational Benefits of Co-located Schools

While the financial benefits are compelling, the educational advantages of a combined middle and high school are equally significant. Shared facilities mean students experience fewer transitions between buildings throughout their educational career. Transitioning from middle to high school can be a challenging time for students, and a combined school can provide a more fluid educational journey.

A combined school also creates opportunities for increased collaboration among educators. Middle and high school teachers can work together more effectively, gaining a deeper understanding of their students’ needs and academic progress. This collaboration can lead to more personalized and consistent support for students as they move from one grade to the next.

Additionally, middle school students in a co-located school may have access to high school-level classes and specialized spaces such as maker spaces, robotics labs, career technical education (CTE) shops, and advanced science labs. These resources, which are typically unavailable in standalone middle schools, enrich the educational experience and provide early exposure to advanced course work. For high school programs that feature strong CTE opportunities, a middle school population can serve as a feeder, introducing students to career pathways earlier in their academic careers.

HMFH Advances the Middle High School Model

When designing middle high schools, we use strategies that result in optimal educational experiences, cost savings, operational efficiencies, and lowered energy consumption. Our expertise in designing for this relatively new program type continues to grow. To date, we have completed eight middle high schools, including the award-winning Saugus Middle High School and the Josiah Quincy Upper School for the City of Boston. And we are currently in design for the first Middle High School in the State of Rhode Island.

The advantages of combined middle high schools are clear in addressing the challenge of modernizing or replacing aging school facilities. HMFH meets these challenges with design expertise and a passionate commitment to creating schools that offer long-term benefits to students, teachers, administrators, and the communities where they stand.

Community Celebrates Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School Topping Off

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Community Celebrates Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School Topping Off

HMFH joined members of the school community, MSBA, and state legislators for the topping off of the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, marking a significant milestone in the construction of the facility.

To commemorate the moment, students, staff, and members of the design and construction team signed the final steel beam before it was placed on the structure. Designed to integrate traditional academics with modern career technical education (CTE) programs, the new school exemplifies a forward-looking educational model poised to benefit future generations.

Located in Taunton, MA, the school will serve 1,434 students in grades 9 through 12 and provide state-of-the-art facilities when it opens in 2026. Each of the school’s 19 career technical programs is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed for a range of career paths. Cutting-edge shops and labs are organized into program-based career clusters, providing a dynamic learning environment that models real life work settings. An expansive courtyard at the heart of the school is flanked by the student hub, which includes an auditorium, cafeteria, and media center and promotes community and collaboration.

The new school embodies Bristol-Plymouth’s mission, clearly communicating its purpose to students, faculty, and visitors. Public-facing programs such as Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Graphic Design, and Early Childhood Education are strategically located along the south-facing façade. Complemented by adjacent visitor parking, clear signage, and bold graphics, the visibility of these programs promotes these services to the greater community.

The topping off ceremony was a celebration of what is certain to become a beacon of modern education and a major new community amenity. Along with the progressive curriculum it will house, Bristol-Plymouth’s new school building is sure to set new standards for both educational and architectural excellence in Taunton.

Tunable Lighting: Mimicking the Natural Progression of Daylight

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Tunable Lighting:
Mimicking the Natural Progression of Daylight

Tunable lighting, a dynamic LED technology, plays a crucial role in creating learning environments that support student well-being and academic performance. It offers adjustable color temperatures and intensities that mimic daylight, enhance student health, aid teachers in creating optimal learning environments, and guide student behavior within classrooms.

Health and Well-being

One of the primary ways tunable lighting promotes health is by supporting the synchronization of circadian rhythms. Light can be adjusted throughout the day to help regulate sleep-wake cycles, stimulating alertness during learning hours and fostering better sleep quality at night. These factors may contribute to improved concentration, mood stability, and overall well-being among students and teachers.

Optimizing Learning Environments

Tunable lighting allows educators to customize classroom ambiance according to specific activities and learning needs. For example, cooler tones may be chosen to promote focus and productivity while warmer tones set the stage for relaxed and creative pursuits. In addition to supporting diverse learning styles, this adaptability has been shown to enhance student engagement and academic performance.

Behavior Cues

Research suggests that exposure to specific light wavelengths can positively affect some of the challenging behaviors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In these cases, tunable lighting can improve social interactions in classrooms and support behavior management.

The positive effects of tunable lighting are still being evaluated. Nonetheless, many educators are already welcoming this technology into their classrooms as part of a holistic program for using LED lighting to create engaging environments.

Four HMFH-designed schools are or will be programmed to include tunable lighting technology:
Arlington High School

This new school for 1,755 students includes a total of 25 rooms that incorporate tunable lighting technology. Arlington’s extensive adoption plan for this new technology will offer HMFH the potential for broad and deep post-occupancy evaluation.

Bristol County Agricultural High School

Bristol County Agricultural High School is a design-award winning project, notable for its deep sustainability program and unique, hands-on learning environment. Here, tunable lighting supports specialized lab spaces for the school’s Natural Resource Management and Animal Science programs.

Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School

Bristol-Plymouth is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2026. The school prioritizes health and well-being through multiple initiatives including a healthy material pilot program as well as the implementation of tunable lighting in special education spaces.

Saugus Middle High School

Saugus Middle High School is a STEAM-driven, design-award-winning project that has incorporated tunable lighting technology into a total of 10 classrooms. Natural daylight floods the building’s interior and is strategically complemented by tunable lighting technology.

HMFH is committed to designing exceptional schools composed of healthy, sustainable, and environmentally efficient environments. Leveraging the power of daylight is central to our design philosophy and is prioritized throughout every school we serve. And now, tunable lighting offers educators an unprecedented level of control when using light to optimize learning environments, manage classroom behaviors, and promote overall student health and wellbeing. When deployed as part of an overall light management strategy, tunable lighting technology can support transformative outcomes.

Arlington High School Phase Two Opens

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Arlington High School Phase Two Opens

Phase Two of the Arlington High School project is newly opened and offers students expanded educational and extracurricular opportunities from a wide range of contemporary spaces for learning, gathering, and activity.

“It’s a really outstanding design, and watching the students get to enjoy it and hang out in the various spaces for the first time was really quite moving.”

Jim Feeney | Town Manager, Arlington, MA
Comprised of a new humanities wing, media center, and central spine of public spaces, Phase Two is a significant project milestone as the largest of four construction phases.
Central Spine

The new central spine is both an activity hub and a concourse through the school from the upper entrance at Mass Ave to the fields, parking, and bikeway at the lower entrance. Upon completion of Phase Three, the spine will connect the school’s four wings—STEAM, humanities, performing arts, and athletics—with shared public spaces, including the 600-student cafeteria, student center, life skills cafe, and prominent forum stair.

The spine brings students together in a variety of spaces, from small seating nooks overlooking the atrium to open areas for presentations or performances. Monumental lightwells add natural light and a sculptural quality, emphasizing the spine’s central role in the design.

Humanities Wing

The new humanities wing mirrors the layout of the STEAM wing (opened in Phase 1) with classrooms for English Language Arts, History, Social Studies, and World Languages, as well as two dedicated rooms for Family and Consumer Science. Modern, flexible furniture and teacher planning rooms between classrooms ensure learning spaces are adaptable to different uses and easily supervised.

A four-story lightwell at the heart of the humanities wing infuses the space with daylight and provides a collaborative workspace for students to study, socialize, and engage in hands-on project assignments.

Media Center

Directly above the central spine is the school’s two-story media center, envisioned as a hub for research and study. Here, students can engage in individual or group project work in a range of seating options, utilize technology resources, attend class in a closed-off conference room, or find a private nook for reading.

Lightwells penetrate the media center, creating countertop workspaces similar to those in the humanities and STEAM wings. The lightwells, along with skylights and expansive windows, ensure the media center is a bright, lively, and welcoming space for students and faculty alike.

Scheduled to open in early 2025, Phase Three will include a new athletics wing and black box theater. Follow along on the AHS building project website for frequent construction updates.

Arlington High School: Zoning for Sustainability

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Arlington High School: Zoning for Sustainability

As one of the first all-electric high schools in Massachusetts, the new Arlington High School stands as a testament to the significant energy savings that can be achieved through high level coordination and consideration of a building’s environmental impact at all scales.

Educational programming and energy-efficient engineering go hand in hand at the new Arlington High School, where HMFH led an extensive coordination and collaboration process between school officials, engineers and community members to achieve an efficient and comfortable learning environment. As everyday beneficiaries of well-designed spaces, occupants often take for granted the many building systems working together seamlessly to ensure comfort, health and wellbeing. The new all-electric Arlington High School will demonstrate this concept when its first phase opens in February of 2022.

An extensive educational program, complex phased construction schedule, and polluted soils on site that prohibited the use of geothermal wells, required the design team to think critically and creatively to produce a facility in line with Arlington’s ambitious sustainability goals. The solution balances the use of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems–which supply space heating and cooling throughout the school without relying on fossil-fuels–with a carefully zoned educational plan that limits the hours of operation for these units, reducing the 408,000 sf school’s energy use to an impressive pEUI of 24.7.

The team’s proactive approach to sustainable design involved close collaboration with school administration and faculty early in the design process to identify the optimal configuration of educational program and building systems zoning layout. Grouping programs with similar operational schedules allows entire zones of mechanical systems to be turned off when the spaces are not occupied, limiting excess energy use in the school and contributing to saving 33% in energy costs over baseline.

When the facility is complete in 2024, the new high school will be the largest public building in Arlington and represent a shift in the Town toward a more climate conscious, resilient future.

Urban Oasis: Elevating Outdoor Space in a High-Rise School

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Urban Oasis:
Elevating Outdoor Space in a High-Rise School

Occupying a limited 0.9-acre lot less than a mile from Boston City Hall, the new Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) design responds to its urban site constraints with a dynamic rooftop designed as an accessible outdoor space for learning, gathering, and activity.

With the positive attributes of an urban site—proximity to public transportation, recreation, and rich local culture—come associated design challenges: tight lot lines, lack of greenery, and air quality concerns that make it nearly impossible to incorporate outdoor program space on site. Understanding the vital connection of open-air green space to student wellness and equitable education, the JQUS project team spun these challenges into opportunities, literally elevating precious open space to the school’s rooftop, 130 feet above ground level.

Filled with greenery, furnished with seating, and enclosed by trellises and perimeter windscreens, the JQUS roof is the crown jewel of this high-rise middle high school. The layout—designed in collaboration with project landscape architect Arcadis | IBI Group—accommodates learning, socializing, and physical activity with an outdoor classroom, gardens, walking paths, and various informal spaces for small group study to large presentations.

Student well-being

JQUS serves an urban and predominantly minority student population for whom access to natural light, fresh air, and connections to nature are critical to their health and wellness. The new rooftop is an urban oasis with open space and gardens, where ample plantings filter pollutants for optimal air quality. To ensure that the entire school is isolated from the ambient ground-level air pollution in this transit-oriented location, fresh air ventilation is captured and distributed from roof level to interior spaces on floors below.

To prioritize mental health through design, a mindfulness garden provides a calm, contemplative space complete with meadow grasses, meandering stone paths, and intermittent benches. Here, urban students have a safe, relaxing, and peaceful place to unwind in a natural setting.

Environmental sustainability

Beyond programmatic benefits, the JQUS green roof significantly improves the building’s environmental sustainability.

The planting system absorbs precipitation to slow stormwater runoff and lowers both the rooftop and surrounding air temperature to mitigate heat island effect and reduce the building’s cooling loads (as well as associated costs). JQUS’s rooftop contains a blend of native plant species, promoting biodiversity in its urban environment.

Educational opportunity

Located in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, JQUS students have little access to outdoor learning environments. The new school’s rooftop provides outdoor learning spaces for subjects from science and art to environmental education. The designated outdoor classroom offers an ideal setting for hands-on learning and messy project work that cannot otherwise be accommodated indoors.

The JQUS green roof is not only an educational environment but a learning tool in itself. Teachers can integrate various components of the green roof into their curriculum using first-hand examples of complex sustainable systems and native plant species at their fingertips.

As educational facilities trend toward building up, not out, and communities seek strategies to mitigate climate change challenges, accessible green roofs could become standard in contemporary public school design. Pioneering this effort in the Boston Public School System, JQUS serves as a model for the many sustainability and programmatic benefits of green roofs.