North Charleston Elementary School, Charleston County School District
Certified: LEED by the U.S. Green Building Council (the first LEED Registered School in South Carolina)
Awarded:
- Charleston Regional Business Journal, Pace Award, 2005
- Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Category Winner at Sustainable Charleston Awards, 2005
Located in a residential area of Charleston County, North Charleston Elementary School was built in 1922 with several additions constructed over the years. Originally planned for renovation, the oldest portions of the building indicated signs of structural instability. An in-depth analysis revealed significant structural issues, although correcting these issues would have consumed the entire renovation budget. It was determined that total replacement of the school was the best course of action. Our design team copied the original footprint to minimize site disturbance. The District charged the design team to use the US Green Building Council’s LEED criteria, subsequently resulting in the first LEED Registered School in South Carolina.
The school features a one-story kindergarten wing and a two-story classroom wing. The building allows natural light into 80% of the spaces and the system uses an ice storage system to cool the building. Materials were selected for their recycled content, rapid renewability, low VOC content, long life expectancy, and environmental friendliness.