Northside First LEED Platinum School in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. — Northside Elementary School in Chapel Hill, N.C. is the first LEED Platinum elementary school in North Carolina.

Richmond, Va.-based Moseley Architects teamed with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to build the three-story, 100,000-square foot school that opened in fall 2013. The site was originally home to the all-African American Orange County Training School. Since 1924, this site has functioned as a site of education, and the school’s design embraces the history of the community and the alumni. A display along the lower level corridor shows a timeline for the students to appreciate the history of the site, as well as a large display case that houses the school’s original cornerstone.

“We are thrilled to learn of Northside Elementary’s LEED Platinum designation,” said Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Tom Forcella in a statement. “Moseley Architects, and the entire planning team, worked extremely hard to create such an amazing learning facility. It will benefit our students and our community for decades to come.”

The district’s policy 9040 for high performance design motivated the school to pursue LEED Gold. However, the design team and school district were able to surpass the level and go for LEED Platinum while still maintaining the schedule and budget. The building incorporates a garden roof area connected to an adjacent science classroom, pervious pavers, and porous playground surfaces, as well as a comprehensive storm water management plan that includes an underground rainwater cistern that supplies water to toilets and the cooling tower.

The structure also showcases carefully designed windows, tubular skylights and light shelves to minimize the daylight and reduce energy for lightning.

Jim Copeland, managing principal for the project with Moseley Architects is proud of what Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools achieved. “I am particularly pleased that our team was able to achieve their vision,” Copeland said. “Northside Elementary is one of only 20 LEED Platinum public schools in the entire country and one of only four elementary schools.”