by Brianna Crandall — March 6, 2015—Gilbane Building Company announced this week that Dunbar Senior High School (Gilbane project page) was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools v2009 Platinum certification, reportedly making the high school project the highest rated and only Platinum LEED BD+C: Schools v3 – LEED 2009 project worldwide to receive 91 out of 110 points.
Designed by Perkins Eastman and Moody Nolan and built by Smoot/Gilbane a Joint Venture, Dunbar High School achieved the unprecedented rating for its innovative approach and advanced application throughout design and construction. The project incorporated many sustainable features, including:
- DC’s largest geothermal system;
- A 482 kW photovoltaic array provided through DC’s first Power Purchase Agreement (PPA);
- Two 20,000-gallon cisterns;
- Energy-efficient low-E glass and low-VOC (volatile organic compound) materials;
- Sustainably harvested wood products;
- Increased acoustical performance for the learning environments;
- Recycled materials;
- Regional materials;
- Stormwater quantity and quality controls;
- Innovative wastewater technologies; and
- 95 percent construction waste diversion.
Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School (school site), a 280,000-square-foot high school facility, is located on an urban site in Washington, DC. The facility features a competition swimming and diving pool, basketball gymnasium, performance auditorium, and extensive athletic and academic facilities. The original historic high school, which was only partially demolished in 1977, was exposed early on in phase one of the construction process. The team discovered the original building’s remaining foundation, complete with swimming pool and all below-grade building components, which had been landfilled in place and covered up in the 1970s.
Gilbane Building Company provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services—from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, close-out and facilities management services—for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 50 office locations around the world. Gilbane’s DC portfolio also includes such highly visible projects as the National Air and Space Museum, the U.S. Diplomacy Center, and the National Academy of Sciences Headquarters.
