Jackson Elementary School; Jackson, WY

Posted on: 10/29/2009

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Jackson Elementary School in Jackson, WY, was opened in September 2009. A unique K-2 school built to hold 500 students; it is notable for its certified green construction. The school building has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the United States Green Building Council, the first school in Wyoming to be gold-certified.  

The vision of Jackson Elementary School is to work cooperatively with students, staff, and community to ensure their students become productive, creative, and responsible citizens in the 21st century.  Students will be supported in their efforts to grow academically, emotionally, physically, and socially with an understanding and appreciation of individual differences.

Views to the elk refuge offer variety and educational interest. The learning landscapes will essentially become outdoor classroom areas conducive to learning about nature, where teachers can conduct environmental lessons that align with curriculum. The project’s sustainable attributes include:

• Projected energy cost savings of 54.8%


• Projected indoor water use reduction of 38%


• Projected outdoor water use reduction of 65%


• A high-performance building envelope with increased wall insulation and triple pane glass


• Use of daylighting of classrooms, administrative and common areas


• Use of recycled materials – 14% by cost of all project materials


• Enhanced indoor environmental quality – achieving 13 out of a possible 15 LEED points in areas such as air quality, thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustics and connection to the outdoors


• Diverting over 80% of construction material waste from landfills to other uses

When it came to furnishing the new school, the school district turned to OfficeScapes for guidance on how to select new school furniture to match their green ethos.

This classroom employs Artco-Bell's Discover Chairs and Discover Desks with book boxes to create a peer-to-peer learning environment. The ergonomic Discover chair improves attention span while providing for improved postural health. All Artco-Bell products are certified for indoor air quality standards for children and schools.

Artco-Bell activity tables and Discover chairs make for an ideal group learning environment for elementary school-aged students.

The school was deliberately designed with wide hallways to foster learning areas throughout the school. Activity tables and Discover chairs are used to foster a casual or formal teaching environment, depending on the teaching approach used.

The school chose Midwest's Convertible Bench Units for their versatility of use: from cafeteria tables to assembly seating, these units are easy to reconfigure and move.

Here, you can see how easy the Convertible Bench Units are to store or move to the side when floor space is needed. This allows cafeteria floor space to be reclaimed for meetings and events, making for a multi-use space inside and outside school hours.

Tags: Education Architecture  Design  Educational Environment  Green Schools 

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