Timnath, Colo. — The Green Building Initiative (GBI) recognized Poudre School District’s Bethke Elementary School, a 63,000-square-foot, two-story building, for its achievements in sustainable design and construction, which were identified using the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system for commercial buildings

The school was recognized for, among other things:

• Outstanding achievements in integrated design, which ensured a team approach was used throughout the progressive stages of the design process and involved collaboration between the project’s architect, engineers, consultants and other stakeholders;
• The minimization of the building’s energy consumption through the integration of energy-efficient systems and renewable energy as well as alternatives to automobile transportation; and
• Ensuring that the building’s indoor environment is healthy and comfortable as well as that it provides a high level of indoor air quality, effective lighting, thermal comfort and suitable acoustic conditions.

Key environmental features of the building include a state-of-the-art evaporative system to address its cooling load and allow for the elementary school to be air-conditioned year-round, a super-insulated building envelope, high-efficiency boilers and operative windows that ensure 90 percent of the building’s space will be day lit. For more information, visit www.thegbi.org.