Green Building

Atrium School and its Cambridge design firm, Maryann Thompson Architects, was honored by the Boston Society of Architects with an Honor Award for Design Excellence, for their biennial K-12 Design Awards. The Honor Award is the highest commendation given by the Boston Society of Architects.

What is a Green School?

A green school is one that consistently improves the learning and working environment for children, teachers, and staff while saving energy, protecting natural resources, and controlling the use of non-renewable products. It is also a community of people that believes in and strives for sustainability through collective conservation efforts and creative problem- solving.

Throughout its 25-year history, the Atrium School has always taught a credo of respect for yourself, others, and the environment; children and teachers assume “an ongoing responsibility to act as part of a larger community.” The goal is to help students contribute to and take responsibility for their community and to model that commitment to others. Building a green school is a benefit to the local and global communities.

By transforming what was an industrial space and a paved parking lot into a progressive elementary school and landscaped urban oasis, we have created a home that encompasses our educational aims. We:

• Use sustainable building materials throughout
• Protect habitats and native plants on our site
• Minimize water pollution through mechanisms to reuse water, low-flow bathroom fixtures, and the installation of a unique storm-water filtration system
• Create an aesthetically pleasing structure and green space for our residential neighbors
• Form working relationships that promote locally owned businesses and organizations
• Partner with Mount Auburn Cemetery to teach children about horticulture, indigenous plants, and sustainable landscapes

This is only the beginning of this exciting “green” educational endeavor! We invite you to join us in our ongoing efforts to teach conscientious stewardship of our environment and shared resources.