Crossroads PK-8 School Becomes First School in Norfolk to Achieve LEED Gold

Crossroads PK-8 School in Norfolk, VA has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Gold certification with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

Opened in 2012, the three-story, 147,000-square-foot building is the first school in the City of Norfolk to achieve LEED Gold.

Norfolk Public Schools partnered with architects and engineers at Moseley Architects to replace an aging neighborhood school, which can accommodate 875 students. Working within the 10-acre urban site, the design is efficiently located on the same site as the original 1930s school. Community stakeholders and educators closely collaborated with the design team to offer valuable input on creating a contextually-appropriate exterior that met their learning requirements.

Jim McCalla, managing principal for the project with Moseley Architects reflected on the design process, "I am particularly pleased that our team was able to achieve Norfolk's vision for their students with an environmentally-responsible facility. We were also able to integrate those green strategies into their instructional program and partner with the city to provide a community center within the school. The community center provides students before school, after school, and summer programs."

Norfolk Public Schools was eager to work with the design team to integrate high performance design principles into the new school's design. When the project began, the goal was to create a facility that was capable of earning LEED Silver; however, due to the dedication of the school board, designers, and contractor, Gold certification was achieved.

Notable strategies include reducing building water use through low-flow plumbing fixtures and equipment; using a solar hot water system to provide hot water for classrooms; using an internet based tracking system to monitor the school's use of energy and water on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis; and including exterior light posts powered by helical wind turbines and photovoltaic cells.