Pine Jog Elementary School and FAU/Pine Jog Environmental Education Center
When the School District of Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University teamed up to place an elementary school on the edge of the college’s 150-acre natural pine habitat and build a new educational center for the university, the partners aimed for LEED certification and pursued every possible point, eventually exceeding goals and earning LEED-Gold status for both structures.
The result was the $29.3-million Pine Jog Elementary School and FAU/Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach.
“From a design, construction, mechanical, health and education standpoint, this project was a winner,” says Glenn Thomas, assistant dean for pre-K-12 Schools and Educational Programs at Florida Atlantic University.
Zyscovich Architects of Miami designed and Pirtle Construction of Davie, Fla., built the 130,000-sq-ft, four-building elementary school and the 15,000-sq-ft, two-building education center.
“It’s the first LEED Gold-certified school in the state of Florida and was a unique project to work on,” says Matt Mahoney, project manager for construction manager Pirtle Construction, which completed the project in March.
And it’s also the winner of this year’s Judges Award, the top prize in Southeast Construction’s annual Best Of competition. It also won the award for Best Green Building. Pine Jog beat out five other nominees for the Judges’ Award, with five of this year’s six judges voting it either first or second overall.
One of this year’s judges, Tim Ackert with the City of Orlando, called the entry from Pirtle Construction “outstanding” and “impressive.”
“It is extremely difficult to (achieve) LEED Gold, but they did it twice,” Ackert added. “Only through an excellent partnering relationship between owner, designer and builder can this be achieved. Design has to be well thought-out from the beginning and coordinated with construction. The benefits to the owners and the environment are substantial.”
Another judge, Cheryl Maze, an associate and marketing director with TLC Architecture for Engineering in Orlando, was equally impressed.
“Pine Jog provides a facility that lifts students to a higher level of comprehension on environment issues and experiences,” she said. “Thoughtful use of the site, thorough integration of sustainability in the design and construction and the learning tools provided by the facility create a space that is fully supportive of the district’s educational mission. The price per square foot is excellent (and) operating costs of the facility are among the lowest in the district. A winner all the way around.”
Education Partners The FAU College of Education has operated the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center on the site for nearly 50 years, providing opportunities for more than 25,000 students, 750 teachers and 12,500 adults annually to learn more about the natural environment and to foster an awareness and appreciation for nature, ecological concepts and stewardship toward the earth.
The university had developed a strong relationship with the school district over the years, and when the district approached the university about building an elementary school on the property, the two entities reached a mutually satisfactory agreement. The university leased the district the land, and the district built the environmental center a new 15,000-sq-ft facility.
“We had debilitated classroom and laboratory buildings,” Thomas says. “It was time to put our heads together to create a curriculum lab for the university and better working space for faculty and graduate students.”
Designing Green Both facilities serve to promote environmental education.
“The school uses the site as the classroom, and kids are encouraged to go outside and identify species and...
...understand the water cycle,” says Jose Murguido, partner in charge of the educational group at Zyscovich. “In addition, it sets a stewardship awareness on the kids.”
The owners sought LEED certification, while using standard building materials and techniques, and along with the design and construction team brought different expertise to the planning meetings.2
“It was a great opportunity to set the spec book aside and rethink things,” Thomas says. “We worked through value engineering and used it as a leverage point for a better school and university building to the tell the story of how a healthy environment can affect people.”
Fly ash replaced about 20% of the cement in the tilt-up panels. Recycled, crushed concrete was placed as a paving base for the asphalt parking areas. The cabinets, casework and wood doors contain Forestry Stewardship Council-certified lumber. A highly reflective roofing membrane, high-performance glazing and sunshades on the windows reduce heat absorption, thereby cooling requirements and overall building energy consumption.
Cisterns collect rainwater for irrigation, including watering a hydroponic garden where students grow strawberries, and for one of the toilets at the environmental center. The four cisterns located at the elementary school help educate students and staff about the importance of water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
Photovoltaic panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity, and a second solar system heats the water. The buildings share a chiller plant with high-efficiency mechanical systems.
“The long-term operational performance of water-cooled versus air-cooled chillers is higher,” says Thorn Grafton, director of sustainable initiatives at Zyscovich. “We’re getting good returns. The performance of the building is better than what was modeled.”
Construction Challenges Rather than clearing the site, Pirtle transplanted many of the pines and other vegetation in a 10,000-sq-ft temporary nursery until construction wrapped up and they could be replanted. Crews mulched some of the other vegetation. The job also required relocating gopher tortoises to a different area of the property.
“It was a preserve, and we took cautious and careful handling of trees and plants,” says Gary Pirtle, project executive, director of LEED initiatives and assistant vice president of Pirtle. “We cleared only the areas we needed. It was with kid gloves.”
Pirtle phased the work, starting with foundation and utilities work, to jumpstart the project before final building permits were issued. The company recycled more than 85% of the construction waste.
Signage, monitors displaying live data about energy and water consumption, windows into the mechanical spaces, and easily recognized solar panels promote youngsters understanding of sustainable principles.
“We’re proud of the project,” Pirtle says. “It’s a great teaching tool for the kids and the community.”
Key Facts
Owner: School District of Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University
Location: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Cost: $29.3 million
Contractor: Pirtle Construction Co., Davie, Fla.
Architect: Zyscovich Inc., Miami
