Vertegy Helps Crossroads College Preparatory School Win Platinum Certification
 
February 2, 2009
 
St. Louis – Alberici’s sustainable construction consulting division, Vertegy, recently helped Crossroads College Preparatory School in St. Louis become the first school in the Midwest to obtain the Platinum certification level under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System.
 
Crossroads is the fourth facility in the St. Louis region to obtain Platinum under the LEED Rating System. Vertegy also advised on sustainable design and construction of two of the other three Platinum facilities – Alberici’s headquarters in St. Louis County and the William A. Kerr Family Foundation in St. Louis.
 
Crossroads is an independent private school in the city’s DeBaliviere Place neighborhood with students in grades seven through twelve. When the school was faced with expanding enrollment, the administration decided to build a new wing and remodel some existing areas of the school.
 
Thomas Taylor, General Manager of Vertegy, said it was the efforts of the Crossroads board and administration that made the achievement possible. “Crossroads College Prep’s commitment to creating a sustainable master plan for its campus right from the beginning really allowed this project to take shape,” Taylor said.
 
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system that awards points to projects according to an array of measurements of their impact on the environment. Platinum is the highest category, followed by Gold, Silver and Certified. Crossroads achieved Platinum with 55 out of a possible 69 points.
 
 
Crossroads College Preparatory School achieved LEED Platinum certification.
 
Vertegy worked with developer McCormack Baron Salazar, general contractor Lawlor Construction, TR,i Architects and engineering firm William Tao and Associates, Inc., to renovate 18,046 square feet of the main school building, which was formerly a grocery store. The team also designed and constructed a new 9,079-square-foot addition to house a new library and modern science classrooms for biology, physics and chemistry.
 
Specific features of the building that helped garner the Platinum certification include:
  • Low-flow plumbing fixtures to maximize the project’s overall water savings.
  • An inclusive stormwater plan, including a rain garden to hold and treat water.
  • Use of 100 percent concrete paving instead of asphalt to minimize the heat-island effect.
  • The designation of preferred parking for low-emitting/fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • Permeable walkways and limited hardscape.
  • The addition of natural daylight to improve indoor environmental quality.
  • A solar hot water system, which provides the majority of the hot water in the addition.
  • Non-PVC-based resilient tile that includes no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and is a healthier flooring alternative.
  • The incorporation of recycled materials, including the use of previously donated carpet for the library, and the diversion of more than 95 percent of the construction and demolition waste from the landfill by way of reuse and recycling centers.

 

The addition of natural light helped Crossroads achieve Platinum.
 

Crossroads College Preparatory School is the 22nd LEED certified facility in Vertegy’s portfolio and the fourth LEED certified educational building that Vertegy has had a hand in. The firm also consulted on the LEED Gold St. Louis Community College Campus in Wildwood, Mo.; Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis., which was also certified at the LEED Gold level; and the LEED Silver Missouri Hall at Columbia College. The firm is also currently providing its sustainable consulting expertise to four other educational facilities nationwide.

 
 
For information, please contact: Vertegy General Manager Thomas Taylor at (314) 733-2666 or via email at tomt@alberici.com.