The Collaborative

Lenawee Intermediate School District

Center for a Sustainable Future

Services

  • Architecture
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Interior Design

Details

Location
Adrian, Michigan
Client
Lenawee Intermediate School District

Project

The Center for a Sustainable Future is an immersive, project-based learning center for agriculture, horticulture, environmental science and renewable-energy technologies. The 75-acre site allows for teaching, updating and retraining people for sustainable careers.

The 8,743sf classroom building features a solar array, a raingarden, demonstration crops, and pervious pavement, all immediately visible at the site entry. The building benefits from an earth-berm, protecting it from north-westerly winter winds while opening to the passive solar opportunities facing south. Solar tubes bring a balanced proportion of daylight to the interior of the spaces. The building envelope is insulated to values two to three times required by current energy codes. The building’s geothermal mechanical equipment, ductwork and piping are exposed and color-coded for demonstrations.

The facility is designed to achieve Net-Zero energy and has earned LEED Platinum Certification.

Project Gallery