Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, New Jersey opened its new gymnasium at the start of the 2008-09 academic year and the facility is an interesting blend of architecture, site orientation, and sustainable principles. Designed by New York City-based Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, the 19,000-square-foot facility features a unique design that maximizes the school’s location in the hills of Hunterdon County. Part of the gymnasium is actually built into the side of one of those hills, both reducing its overall mass and allowing the facility to self-regulate its temperature throughout the year thanks to the surrounding soil’s relatively constant 55 degree temperature. BRB also specified a cool roof; the gymnasium should use close to 36 percent less energy than a comparable facility. The project is seeking LEED Silver certification and is on track to earn 8 of the 10 available energy credits under LEED-NC Version 2.2. Translucent wall panels on the upper rear portions of the gymnasium flood the interior with natural daylight; although school officials were concerned with the durability of the panels (manufactured by Kalwall Corporation), BRB convinced the school’s athletic director to fire lacrosse balls at the panels during a mock up. Other green features include a concrete floor slab covered with recycled rubber tires and a self-leveing polyurethane coating, as well as interior CO2 monitoring.
- Portfolio (BRB)
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