Take a Tour of Londonderry's

GREEN SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Inside and Out!
 

Welcome to Londonderry School, where we care for children and care about the environment. Our school was completed in the spring of 2004 after 10 years of fundraising, planning and construction. We selected this site because it afforded us a beautiful nature observatory within minutes of downtown Harrisburg.

We knew, however, that we would need to be stewards of these 14 acres. And so we began planning a school building and grounds that would preserve natural habitat, protect the watershed, reduce waste, reduce energy usage, and teach others about caring for our environment. As part of our planning, we strove to meet national standards set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) environmental building criteria in areas such as site development, air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation and innovative design strategies.

Further, we committed our project to show that environmentally conscious or "green" building construction does not need to cost more than traditional construction and should become a new building industry standard. Typical central Pennsylvania school construction cost is $130/sq. ft. Our building was constructed at about $100/sq. ft., demonstrating that green design can be cost effective and within reach for any construction project.

We also made design decisions to create a building that is a teaching tool about the environment for our students and for public visitors. As you walk around our building you can learn about the choices we made and why we made them, keeping both the environment and cost in mind.

Facts and figures:

• Londonderry School is a private non-sectarian school serving preschool through 8th grade students.
• Move in date: April 15, 2004
• 25,000 sq. ft. school building with construction costs of $2.5 million (excluding land, site costs, architect fees) on 14 acres
• Londonderry School previously lived in several different rental facilities over its 33-year history

Read what others have written about our school:
Londonderry School Gives Carlisle Extra Credit for its Energy Efficient Sure-Weld® TPO Roofing System, January 24, 2005

Less is better!

Our building is designed so that spaces can have multiple uses. This reduces the need to build more square footage. This provides a cost and materials savings! For example, our lobby may be used as stage; the railing can be removed and the multipurpose room becomes seating area. Or, push away furnishings in multipurpose room to make available as a large gathering room. Students can also sit on the risers and view a show or program in the multipurpose room itself. The room has a small kitchenette for board meetings, evening or special programs, and so that it may be used for community programs.

We have consciously chosen not to cover floors and walls with extra materials that are typically used in construction. For example, the block in hallways is clear sealed, rather than hidden behind drywall or event paint. The concrete floor (which is important to our heating system) has merely received a clear sealer also. The maintenance is minimal; the function is complete without adding linoleum or vinyl flooring.