RAIN GARDENS AND CISTERNS
Rain gardens create an attractive and useful courtyard between the Hargroves building and the science building. They are part of the building’s stormwater management system, and were specifically designed to collect rain from the parking lot, the Hargroves roof and the science building roof. The gardens were planted in a manner to allow rainwater to circulate through the gardens and percolate slowly back into ground water, reducing water discharge into the sanitary sewer. Two 5,000 gal. cisterns which sit in front of the cinderblock wall that connects to Hargroves to the new Science Center at ground level. These cisterns collect rainwater and recycle it back into the building for use as gray water (for flushing toilets).

GREEN ROOF
There are two green roofs in the new center, one on the main roof and another accessible green roof over the vestibule is that will also help to absorb rainwater.

Some portions of the upper roof are also green, but not accessible to students. These roofs and gardens are planted with species that are native to Pennsylvania, and many of which have medicinal applications, including Echinacea, Liatris, Asclepias, Agastache, and Calamintha.

At the Coulter street side of the building, the physics labs is clad in zinc panels (100% recyclable, environmentally friendly), and defies gravity by being cantilevered out over the sidewalk.

SOLAR PANEL ARRAY
The weather station (rain gauge, wind speed and external temp) and photovoltaic array are visible on the roof above the physics labs.

This array generates electricity that is used to provide power to the building’s systems, reducing the need for energy derived from fossil fuels. Under appropriate conditions, it will be able to provide energy to the city’s grid.

This power is converted from DC power generated by the photovoltaic panels to AC power which can then be used by throughout the science center.

BIO LABS
These two labs share a prep space, and are positioned under the chemistry labs so that they can share ductwork and telecom and electric conduits. Bio labs were located on the ground floor in order to provide them with convenient access to the rain gardens. These classrooms will house biology, advanced biology and environmental science classes.

BUILDING MATERIALS
Sustainable materials are used throughout the building. Millwork is composed of sustainable woods and renewable materials such as sunflower seed board, recycled rubber, concrete with recycled content, etc. The building has been positioned and designed to make maximum use of available daylighting.

MECHANICAL ROOM:
The mechanical room is the nerve center of the building. Along the far wall you can see the pipes that come in from the ground-coupled wells. Twenty four wells under the driveway, each 300 feet deep, circulate water from the building down into the ground, where it equilibrates to a temperature of approximatelly 56º F before being returned to the building. This process helps to conserve fossil fuels, because air only needs to be heated from 56º to the desired internal temperature (rather than heating it from 30º on a cool day or cooling it from 80º on a warm day).

VESTIBULE
The primary ground-floor entrance to the building includes an informal gathering space for students.

DASHBOARD
The dual touchscreen dashboard located on the first floor is a technology that will allow students and faculty to monitor, collect and store data from the building's systems in real time, including the PV array, weather station (rain gauge, wind speed, external temperature), water usage and electric production and consumption. This information assists our community by helping us to conserve resources and become better stewards of our environment.

Click on this link to see the dashboard at work.

OFFICE SUITE
The Office Suite on the first floor houses work spaces for all Upper School science faculty, as well as two small breakout rooms for students and faculty to engage in quiet study and a larger conference room for department meetings. The office suite also connects to an independent research room (at the left end) for students and faculty who are performing on-going research.

SECOND FLOOR GALLERY
At the top of the stairway to the second floor, note the skylight over head, which brings daylight into the center of the building and reduces the need for electric lighting. The two story gallery also provides a teaching space for studying the effect of acceleration due to gravity.

CHEM LAB AND CHEM PREP ROOM
The periodic table is embedded in the floor tile in each of the chem labs. The tiles are made through a “no waste” process. Contrasting light and dark tile colors are used, so that light lettering is cut out of one tile and fitted into dark background for one lab, while the dark lettering is swapped into the light cut out for the other lab. Tiles are made of NORA flooring, a sustainable material that uses environmentally-friendly adhesives and is manufactured through energy-efficient processes.

These labs will share a common prep space that can be accessed through either the labs or the hallway. These labs, and all labs, are 1300 square feet, twice the size of our current classrooms.