Mundo Verde Public Charter School

Mundo Verde Public Charter School is a public charter school whose expeditionary learning school curriculum and sustainability focus heavily informed the design and construction of its new facility. For this project, Forrester Construction renovated an existing school building and constructed an annex building which minimized the new construction required to house Mundo Verde’s elementary school.

Renovating the existing three-story building involved remodeling classrooms, upgrading the cafeteria and improving site utilities. Every square foot of the school was programmed for optimal use. As a result, the revitalized building now features several additional classrooms and new reception areas.

Construction also involved incorporating many sustainable design features and materials. Building materials were salvaged from the original facility and reused for landscaping and architectural elements. Exterior asphalt areas were transformed into playgrounds with living learning landscapes. The “schoolyard habitat” now includes indigenous flora and fauna, rainwater recovery and monitoring stations. The rainwater harvesting system Forrester installed collects grey water used by the school to save over 300,000 gallons of water annually from going to the water treatment facility.

Project Location:

Washington, DC

Architect:

Studio 27 Architecture

Size:

Addition 36,000 SF | Renovation 11,000 SF

Schedule:

8 months

Highlights:

LEED™ Platinum