This new public school for 500 students has become nationally recognized since its completion in 2013 for its sustainable features and its collegiate campus. When the architects were beginning the design process they did a lot of research. The architects said that they were influenced by the New Orleans architects Curtis and Davis who designed and built many schools in the early 1950s in Louisiana. Their designs adapted to the harsh southern climate without using air conditioning, creating sustainable light filled and poetic spaces for kids to learn. The goal was to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools). This project is designed to enhance passive sustainable strategies. It allows for abundant natural light, ventilation and view, while shading itself and inducing airflow. The south facade is clad with 650 solar panels that shade the building and provides 75% of the energy needs for the school. Implementing these strategies will reduce carbon emissions by over 3 million pounds. Taking full advantage of the region`s temperate climate, the designers eschewed the fully contained “big box” idiom of conventional schools in favor of a landscaped courtyard with multifunctional “bleacher” terracing flowing into the open-air covered lobby and the multilayered paseo. It created a campus effect which integrated the interior with the exterior and allowed more daylight into the building.
