Flandro joined the firm in 2006 as an exhibit designer where he worked on notable projects such as the High Technology Science Theater for the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the World Brooklyn Children’s Museum in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the expansion of The Scientific Center in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Flandro obtained a master鈥檚 degree in interior architecture, exhibit design and renovation and reuse from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003.听听

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. 鈥� International design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman recently announced that听Dr.听Martin听Luther听King,听Jr.听School听in Cambridge has been certified听LEED听Platinum.

The 170,000-square-foot听school听achieved 89 points out of 110 base points possible for听LEED 鈥� making it the second highest-scoring new听school听in the world certified under USGBC鈥檚听LEED听for Schools-New Construction system, according to a press release.

Sean O鈥橠onnell FAIA,听LEED听AP, Principal-in-Charge of the project and Perkins Eastman鈥檚 practice area leader for K-12 education, said that both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dunbar High School scored so highly on the LEED Platinum scale for the same reason 鈥� all of the stakeholders were committed to the vision of creating the most sustainable, highest-performance learning environments possible.

鈥淭he integrated design process with these stakeholders assured that strategies were researched and vetted in a cross-disciplinary way which made the projects successful in the full spectrum of LEED categories, said O鈥橠onnell. 鈥淎ccordingly, many opportunities and systems were optimized and integrated into the designs to achieve this level of performance.鈥�

These ranged from proper massing and solar orientation with systems to conserve resources. These resources included the ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling, the on-demand dedicated outdoor air ventilation, extensive photo-voltaic systems, the graywater system for flushing toilets, the building envelope and light shelves to those that enhance Indoor Environmental Quality such as lighting, acoustics, as well as healthy materials, and elements that transformed what would otherwise be concealed infrastructure into opportunities.

鈥淢ost importantly, these strategies were utilized to create light-filled spaces that are quiet, comfortable, flexible, and beautiful 鈥� spaces where students and teachers can collaborate together or focus individually,鈥� said O鈥橠onnell.

Jana Silsby AIA,听LEED听AP, the project鈥檚 senior designer explained the process was different from other they have worked on, in both feasibility and schematic design phases.

鈥淎 great deal of effort went into understanding exactly how the building would be maintained and used, right down to detailed plug load information, in order to provide the best and most affordable design possible,鈥� said Silsby. 鈥淓nergy modeling and analysis was used from the beginning to inform design decisions, including an embodied carbon analysis to help determine whether to renovate the existing building or build new.听While we always focus on optimizing daylight and views in the learning environment, this was the first project that we could digitally model these attributes and fine-tune the design in near real-time.鈥�

Therefore, the classrooms are suffused with plentiful natural light and as a result are among the most beautiful that we have ever designed.听Teachers evidently agree, as virtually every time we visit the building we find that they have opted to leave the lights off, preferring to enjoy the daylight.

鈥淭he听Dr.听Martin听Luther听King,听Jr.听School听sets a high bar for quality and environmental responsibility by achieving听LEED听Platinum,” said Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. “Any visitor to the听school听can tell the care and commitment that went into its design and construction, made visible by its rooftop garden, welcoming auditorium, public art, and daylit classrooms. We commend Cambridge Public Schools, Perkins Eastman, and all of their partners for bringing this healthy, inspiring learning environment to students and delivering a听school听the students, parents, and teachers can be proud of.鈥�

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