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Woodbury “Eco-Charrette” Lays Foundation for LEED Sustainability Certification
A “charrette” is a term used by architecture and design professionals to describe an intensive, subject-specific planning and/or design session. A charrette is time-limited (usually half-day, full-day or weekend) and challenges participants to explore design solutions and deliver design principles, planning diagram or schematic, set of scenarios or options, among others. An “eco-charrette” is the first step in reviewing criteria for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for a building construction project.
On December 2, more than 35 District, City and Design Team leaders convened for a half-day eco-charrette to review the LEED standards checklist and compile potential points for a LEED Silver or Gold certification application. This review requires participants to engage in a wide array of discussions including policymaking, equipment identification, material selection, environmental assessments, and site design decisions, among other criteria. This fast-moving, wide-ranging, brainstorming-like discussion is the first step in the certification process.
The process ends after the building is commissioned and evidence is submitted to the Green Building Certification Institute to verify the level of certification which has been achieved. The preliminary checklist will be available on the Long-Term Master Facilities Plan website once follow-up activities from the charrette are completed. More information will be forthcoming about this process as it unfolds.
Facilities Advisory Committee and Woodbury Neighbors Joint Work Session
As the schematic design process moves forward, the Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC) and Woodbury Neighbors Group met for a joint meeting on December 2 at the Shaker Heights Public Library. Attendees engaged in a robust feedback session with the architects about the building’s layout, floor plans, traffic circulation/parking, active/passive recreation areas, and other project components.
Middle Years Programme (MYP) Planning Continues
On November 21, the Education Elements team had the privilege of hearing from 33 teachers and 27 students during focus groups, gaining valuable perspectives. Additionally, the team joined the Instructional Leadership Team and Dr. John Moore, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, to observe learning in action, completing 40 classroom observations. These insights, along with seeing the draft schematic design plans for the new Woodbury building this week, are helping the team understand the programme’s current strengths, set instructional priorities, and lay the foundation for an exciting instructional vision design process.
Next Steps with Ludlow Early Learning Center
At their December 3 meeting, the Shaker Heights City Planning Commission/Board of Zoning Appeals approved two variances for the Ludlow project. The variances allow the District to construct a PreK playground on the Keswick Road side of the building and install a fence around its perimeter. The District will return to the Commission to present an updated plan for an extended play area and other amenities.
The District is convening a work group this month to analyze the layout of the soccer field and assess moving the ballfield’s backstop further west to accommodate the extended play area, bike racks, scattered seating and natural play areas. The District will work with the City in early spring to assess the stormwater management infrastructure to ensure it is in working order and recommend repairs, if needed.
Woodbury School Visual Preference Survey Gathers Clear Preferences
Throughout November, a diverse cross-section of Shaker Heights residents ranked their preferences for the “look and feel” of the exterior design of the new Woodbury building. The survey window was extended to December 6 to encourage participation by high school students through a special outreach effort by student leaders this past week. A summary report will be presented to the Board of Education at their December 10 meeting.
Take the Recreation “Fund It” Questionnaire!
As the planning process for the Recreation Strategic Plan for Shaker Heights enters its final phase, residents are encouraged to click here for a short survey (it only takes a few minutes!) to share how they would fund recreation improvements in Shaker.
Proposed future plans for the Shaker Heights Middle School site are a part of this process. The Middle School will continue to serve as a swing site for the Middle Years Programme while the new Woodbury School is constructed and during renovation projects for the District’s K-5 buildings. Once adopted as a part of the final Strategic Plan, plans for the Middle School site will be implemented when Segment 1 of the Shaker Heights Schools Long-Term Master Facilities Plan is complete.
Watch a recording of the December 2, 2024 virtual community meeting to learn more about site plan options for five recreation sites in Shaker Heights: Chelton Park, Hildana Park, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building, Thornton Park and the Shaker Heights Middle School site.
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