Hubble Middle School is the fifth LEED certified educational building that Vertegy has had a hand in and only the third school in Illinois to achieve this level of LEED for Schools certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Already well known for its work in helping to spread the green movement to several Midwestern schools, Vertegy today announced that Hubble Middle School has earned LEED for Schools Gold certification; making it the fifth LEED certified educational building that Vertegy has had a hand in and Vertegy's first project certified under LEED for Schools. Hubble Middle School, located outside of Chicago in Warrenville, Ill., is only the third school in Illinois to achieve this level of LEED for Schools certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

After examining all options to meet Hubble Middle School's expanding enrollment, the Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200) of Illinois called upon Chicago, Ill.-based Legat Architects, Inc. and construction manager Bovis Lend Lease to construct a new 190,000-square-foot facility to serve more than 1,000 students in grades six through eight. Collaborating with Legat and Bovis, Vertegy helped demonstrate the district's commitment to sustainability. Instead of opting to replace the former 250,000-square-foot building with an even bigger version, the new facility uses smarter square footage to meet the school's needs.

Specific features of the building that helped garner the Gold certification include:
• An inclusive stormwater plan on 22 acres, including bio-swales and permeable paving

• Divided building functions separating public and private spaces that contribute to energy efficiency and safe community usage during non-school hours

• Native vegetation, a partial green roof and a white membrane roof

• Dual-flush water closets, low-flow lavatory and kitchen faucets and pre-rinse valves

• Natural daylight throughout the classrooms and rooftop monitors to bring light into the less-used spaces

• Energy-efficient design that allows for future inclusion of renewable energy

• Prairie stone external walls, which provide high insulation value


Additionally, more than 82 percent of the construction and demolition waste was diverted from the landfill by way of recycling centers and reuse in the greater Chicago area. Recycled materials were found in many of the products installed in the building, resulting in nearly a 40 percent recycled content value.

"B.F. Skinner once said, ‘Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten,'" said Thomas Taylor, General Manager of Vertegy. "The project team took this into account and never lost focus on what was most important in this project: education and the generations of young and impressionable students that would walk the halls of this facility." As a testament to this, educational information about the building has been incorporated into signage, explaining the sustainable features of the space, and an integrated curriculum is planned that will center on the school itself as a vehicle for learning.

Hubble Middle School is the 24th LEED certified facility in Vertegy's portfolio. The firm also consulted on the LEED Platinum Crossroads College Preparatory School in St. Louis, Mo.; the LEED Gold St. Louis Community College Campus in Wildwood, Mo.; Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis., which was also certified at the LEED Gold level; and the LEED Silver Missouri Hall at Columbia College. The firm is also currently providing its sustainable consulting expertise to three other educational facilities throughout the country.

Founded in February 2005, Vertegy provides clients with design, procurement and construction consulting services for green and sustainable facilities. One of the key ways Vertegy serves clients is by helping them gain certification for their projects from various nationally and internationally recognized certification bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. Vertegy — which is derived from combining the Latin root for green and strategy — is based in St. Louis at the LEED Platinum Alberici Corporate Headquarters. For more information, call 314.733.2666 or visit www.vertegyconsultants.com.