Patuxent Valley Middle School – LEED Certified

For over 30 years, Gilbert Architects Inc. has been a full-service architectural firm devoted exclusively to planning and designing educational facilities for clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

View Photos

 
int(965)
string(19) "2017-06-16 12:54:12"

int(966)
string(19) "2017-06-16 12:54:22"

int(967)
string(19) "2017-06-16 12:54:39"

int(968)
string(19) "2017-06-16 12:54:51"

City

Jessup, MD

Size

106,570 s.f. – total
9,125 s.f. – new construction
97,445 s.f. – renovations

Grades

6 – 8

Project Features

  • Seeking LEED Certified
  • Phased occupied construction
  • Geothermal system
  • New secure entrance

Patuxent Valley Middle School – LEED Certified

Patuxent Valley Middle School opened in 1989 based upon a standard program and prototype design of that time. It has never had a major renovation and as a result, the design is not responsive to 21st century instruction and programs that are a part of school design today. Currently, the administrative offices are located remotely from the main entrance on the second floor which makes security difficult for the staff to monitor. The existing first floor general classrooms or grade level “pods” have four classrooms grouped together divisible with folding partitions. The proposed work is to provide permanent partitions for enhanced acoustical performance to provide better learning environments for the students and teachers. The existing open stairs from the library to the second floor will be reconfigured to provide improved access between the instructional areas on the first floor to the support areas, such as art, music, and family and consumer science, on the second floor.

An addition to the main entrance will provide a secure entrance vestibule to the main administrative offices. There will also be an enlarged health suite to meet COMAR standards. Full-sized general classrooms and small group instruction rooms for programs such as speech and reading will be added to provide adequate educational space. These classroom additions will replace the temporary modular classrooms that will be removed from the site at the completion of construction.

Mechanical and electrical rooms will be added to support the building’s systemic renovations that will include the replacement of the mechanical systems and the installation of a geothermal well field to capitalize on the energy savings and sustainable design.

This project is registered with USGBC to achieve at least LEED Certified based on the 2009 LEED for Schools criteria. The renovation of this existing building on the existing school campus, and reusing the majority of the building’s envelope by maintaining the walls, floors, and roofs, was the first step in identifying the environmental contribution of this project. Optimizing energy performance, controllability of the lighting and mechanical systems, incorporating recycled and regional materials, and materials that emit low VOCs are all being planned as part of the design.