Best of New Mexico: Tony Hillerman Middle School

Photo: Travis Lewis, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini

This 169,000-sq-ft LEED for Schools project, delivered in 530 days, serves 1,200 students. One of the first projects in the nation designed to earn the Energy Star, the school uses 35% less energy than a typical structure, and features efficient glazing, extensive use of natural light and lighting sensors. Expected to receive LEED gold, the project also features high efficiency toilets using 50% less water and locally sourced recycled materials were used in construction.

As the first design-build achieved by Albuquerque Public Schools, the final site location minimized the extraction of basalt rock to 4,000 cu yds.