Middle school on track to earning LEED

Photograph by Justin Maconochie.

“Our design team strives to achieve a balance between transparency and energy efficiency in glazing design. We accomplished natural daylighting in every classroom at Linden Grove Middle School.” — Matt Slagle, design architect, TowerPinkster.

The basics: The exterior of the 142,000-square-foot Linden Grove Middle School, Kalamazoo, Mich., features a variety of structures, shapes and materials — from ashlar and brick to Kalwall and high-performance curtain wall. This project is currently registered with the U.S Green Building Council, and is on track to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified. It recently received an Honor Award from the American Institute for Architects Southwest Michigan Chapter, according to a Guardian Industries release.

The players: Architects, TowerPinkster, Kalamazoo, Mich.; glass manufacturer, Guardian Industries Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich.; contract glazier, Architectural Glass and Metal, Kalamazoo, Mich.; glass fabricator, Oldcastle Glass, Santa Monica, Calif.; construction manager, CSM Group Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich.

The glass: Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral 54 on clear that offers 54 percent visible light transmission and a low 0.28 solar heat gain coefficient.