Sidwell Friends Middle School
Washington D.C.
Project Background
The Sidwell Friends School is deeply committed as an educational institution to practicing responsible environmental stewardship. The curriculum is grounded in teaching students about the natural world and their relationship to it. When the school decided to construct a new middle school building sustainable design was a logical expression of institutional values. The new middle school design includes four major components that focus on environmental stewardship: Water Management, Energy Efficiency, Building Materials, and Indoor Air Quality.
NSI Contributions
Working with a talented integrated design team developed by Integrated Design Collaborative, including Kieran Timberlake Associates LLP, Andropogon Associates LTD, JFW Project Management, and CVM Engineers, NSI contributed heavily to the water infrastructure design and management. NSI designed the wastewater and stormwater treatment systems for the school, incorporating their infrastructure into the schoolyard entrance. The final designs helped contribute to a LEED Platinum certified building and winner of the “AIA top ten 2007″.
Buidling wastewater is treated with a series of terraced constructed wetland cells, a recirculating sand filter and trickling filter, which are all tightly integrated into the landscape. Treated wastewater flows by gravity back in the building as part of a closed loop non-potable water reuse system. Water is reused for toilet flushing and for input to the buildings cooling towers. Sidwell’s stormwater system is equally dynamic with a combination of stromwater scuptures, rain gardens, and biofiltration and habitat pools that double as outdoor classroom space. The Sidwell Friends Middle School has become an important case study for sustainable building and is a vivid example of how integrated systems work in nature.
NSI’s infrastructure designs have helped the project acheive multiple awards including:
- LEED NC: certified Platinum – United States Green Building Council, 2006
- AIA Philadelphia Awards for Design Excellence, Recognition Award, 2006
- Top 10 Green Projects, Committee on the Environment, American Institute of Architects (AIA), 2007
- Award for Excellence, National Committee for Architecture on Education, AIA, 2007
- Honor Award, Sustainable Design Awards, Boston Society of Architects, 2007
- Craftsmanship Awards, Special Construction and Landscaping, Washington Building Congress, 2007
- Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Award, 2008
- EcoLeadership Award, Alliance for Workplace Excellence, 2009
