Second Building at Willow School in Gladstone, New Jersey Earns LEED Rating
Stephen Del Percio
The private K-8 Willow School in Gladstone, New Jersey has already received a LEED Gold rating from USGBC for its main building, which was completed back in 2003. At the time, the Willow School was the first LEED-rated private school in the country and only the second LEED building in the state of New Jersey. Phase II of the school’s green construction efforts included a 13,000-square-foot structure dubbed “the Barn,” which includes a middle school, dining hall, and performing arts space. Not to be outdone by the main building, the Barn, which was completed back in September of 2007, recently earned a LEED Platinum rating based on green features that include recycled Douglas fir and terrazzo glass tile recycled from airplane windshields. The Barn also features a Follansbee roof which requires little to no maintenance and also harvests rainwater for use in the Barn’s graywater system. Phase III of the project- currently in design development- will add a 15,000-square-foot classroom and 17,000-square-foot health and wellness center to the Willow School, both of which will aim for LEED Platinum. The project team for the Barn included Lambertville, New Jersey-based architects Hone + Associates, Gladstone-based green consultants Solid Wood Construction and Sustainable Growth Technologies, and roofing contractor Strober Metal Works.
