The facility was designed to support collaborative learning through flexible educational spaces while serving as a community resource. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of GMC
NASHVILLE, Tenn. 鈥� Goodlettsville Elementary School in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), recognizing the school’s sustainable design and construction.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a globally recognized green building certification program that evaluates projects based on criteria such as energy efficiency, water conservation, material selection and indoor environmental quality.
The 81,750-square-foot elementary school, designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC), incorporates a range of sustainable building features intended to reduce energy and water consumption while supporting healthy indoor environments. These include high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, and low-emitting building materials such as flooring, ceilings, paints, coatings and insulation to help minimize volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems include geothermal heat pump air handlers, condensing natural gas water heaters, LED lighting, daylight sensors, centralized lighting controls and enhanced ventilation strategies designed to improve energy performance and indoor air quality.
鈥淲e have greatly enjoyed partnering with MNPS to advance its sustainability initiatives. Throughout the design process, our goal was to create a facility that not only met these objectives but also reflected the long-term vision of environmentally responsible design,鈥� GMC Senior Vice President of Architecture Roy Garcia said in a statement. 鈥淲e sincerely appreciate the commitment and collaboration of MNPS, the general contractor and the user groups. Their shared dedication was instrumental in bringing this vision to life and creating a more sustainable learning environment for generations of students.
Site design and water management strategies also contributed to the certification. Sustainability measures include stormwater management systems, construction waste diversion, the use of recycled and regionally sourced materials, and a graywater harvesting system that captures condensate and roof runoff for irrigation and water closet flushing.
Goodlettsville Elementary School opened in 2023 and has since received several industry awards, including an ENR Southeast 2024 Best Projects Award of Merit in the K-12 Education category, the 2023 Tennessee School Boards Association School of the Year Award for New Elementary School Construction and the 2024 AGC Build Tennessee Award for Institutional Projects.
The facility was designed to support collaborative learning through flexible educational spaces while serving as a community resource.
Project partners included GMC as lead architect, RC Anderson Co. as general contractor, Barge Civil Associates as civil engineer, Structural Design Group as structural engineer and I.C. Thomasson as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer.