New Howard D. Woodson High School Seeks LEED Gold
by Rachel Hardesty Sowards, LEED AP O+M, S.D. Keppler and Associates
Located in the District of Columbia's 7th ward, Howard D. Woodson High School was originally built in 1973. Throughout its existence there have been numerous problems with the building's condition, leading it to be deemed no longer fit for use by the faculty and community. By the late 2000's, the eight-story concrete building had reached such a level of disrepair that the D.C. government began to demolish the 30+ year old building and officially opened bids for constructing a new school, a new H.D. Woodson.
Howard D. Woodson Senior High School will be built on a site totaling 644,135SF, and the building itself will be 240,000GSF. The school will be designed and built to be an environmentally sensitive facility. H.D. Woodson will be a STEM school, an educational concept created to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Seeking LEED Gold certification in the LEED for Schools program, the project's architect, Cox, Graae + Spack, has incorporated several LEED criteria into their design. A few of these include:
- Extensive Green Roofing (covering 75%)
- Rain Gardens to Filter On-Site Runoff
- High Performance Glass
- Spray Foam Insulation in Masonry Cavities
- Batt Insulation Within Interior Walls
- Canopy Roofs to Control Excessive Late Spring/Early Fall Sunlight Infiltration
- Bio-Retention Planter to Retain Rainfall, In Effect Relieving Neighborhood Storm Water Management Systems
- Playfield, Track, & Tennis Courts
- Bicycle Racks and Bus Stop
- Pool Backwash Collection Tanks Used to Flush Building Toilets