Rosa Parks Elementary becomes LEED® for Schools Gold Certified

MANKATO, Minn. (January 16, 2012) — Paulsen Architects is pleased to announced today that Rosa Parks Elementary School has been awarded LEED ® for Schools Gold established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings and the LEED for Schools Rating System recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of K-12 schools. By addressing the uniqueness of school spaces and children's health issues, LEED for Schools provides a comprehensive tool for schools that wish to build green, with measurable results.

Rosa Parks Elementary School, designed by Paulsen Architects, is ISD 77’s newest K-5 facility. Construction on the $21 million building began in April of 2009 and Rosa Park’s staff greeted its first students in the fall of 2010. The 96,552 sf energy efficient school’s environmentally friendly features include a ground source heat pump system for heating and cooling the school, occupancy sensors for lighting, regional and recycled material use, water saving fixtures and landscape and many indoor air quality strategies. The school is also designed to take advantage of the latest technology to enhance learning, provide space for community use, meet the needs of a variety of students and be a safe place for learning.
“Qualifying as LEED for Schools Gold certified reaffirms our goals going into this project which were to have facilities that minimize operational costs, save energy and are environmentally-friendly,” said Sheri Allen, superintendent of Mankato Area Public Schools.

This recent LEED certification of Rosa Parks makes it the second public certified building in South Central Minnesota. The Blue Earth County Justice Center, also designed by Paulsen Architects, became the first LEED-certified jail in the state of Minnesota and the first public certified building in South Central Minnesota in January 2011.

“It is exciting to see Rosa Parks earn official LEED certification. I applaud Mankato Area Public Schools and the citizens of Greater Mankato for embracing our sustainable design and LEED certification recommendations for the school,” says Bryan Paulsen, President and Principal Architect of Paulsen Architects.

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