From the very first time Design Resources Group met with the Phillipsburg Board of Education to discuss their new early childhood center we knew it was going to be something special. That turned out to be an understatement. This 90,000 square foot building was designed to maximize the experience of over 600 three, four and five year olds while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Built on a brownfield site that was spotted with sinkholes, special care had to be taken during design to ensure that this previously unusable acreage was cleaned up and shored up to provide an acceptable place for Phillipsburg’s youngest students. Local materials were used to minimize shipping impacts on the environment. In fact, more than half of the building materials were manufactured within 100 miles of the site. Even the sub-base for the building and surrounding roads was created from rocks dug up on the site and crushed in a special crushing machine.

A majority of the building materials were made from recycled product and the building generates its own energy from photovoltaic panels installed on the gym roof. The parking lot even has special recharging spots for electric powered vehicles. The students will be able to monitor the effects of the solar panels while learning about lessening the impact they make on the environment.

The children get to have fun in the new school as well. Enclosed courtyards have circular riding paths and wildflower gardens for exploring. The entire building is adorned with geometrical shapes in primary colors to add points of interest for little minds.

The reward for Phillipsburg from this landmark design is a learning experience for their youngest students in the only earl childhood learning center in New Jersey earning the USGBC’s LEED^™ Silver Certification for energy efficient and environmentally friendly design.