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frog fact
Solar panels, super efficient systems and an optimized envelope are helping Watkinson achieve energy neutrality and use 60% less energy than neighboring New England schools.
Watkinson School, the only independent school in Hartford, Connecticut now has three, interconnected, energy neutral classrooms to support the advanced curriculum – specifically the development of their exciting Science and Global Studies Program. Project Frog executed a 3,500 sf fast-track project to meet the school’s programming needs and budget while providing a healthy, sustainable, and productive energy neutral environment for students and staff alike.
The result is The Solarium, a state-of-the-art learning complex that excites young people about science, teaches kids how to be global citizens and stewards, and reflects the creative spirit of Watkinson School as a whole. The classrooms are flexible to accommodate lecture, seminar and lab-style instruction, and are ‘wet’ and durable to allow for hands-on experimentation, and are healthy, living ecosystems capable of demonstrating superior energy performance, environmental responsibility and stewardship. Furthermore, the classrooms have a transparent relationship to the natural environment and directly relate to the outdoor teaching lab adjacent to the complex. The classrooms are knit together by a common entry lobby that houses a collaboration “living room” as well as a thought provoking exhibit area. Eco-friendly features of the new science pavilion include solar power, no/ low VOC-emitting interiors, high-recycled content building materials, and very energy efficient systems.
"The warmth, the light, the air, and the space all factor into how the students perceive their learning or the faculty's ability to capture their students' imagination enhanced."
- John Bracker, Headmaster
