A new 85,000-SF Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy that accommodates 600 students ranging from Full Day Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The goals for the project were to construct a building that capitalizes on sustainable design, to save money, to waste fewer resources and to do Windham's share in preserving the environment. The school and the surrounding site serve as an instructional tool to be used by the students in the everyday learning process. The Building Committee desired that its new school make appropriate use of the land selected; harmonize with the natural landscape; use water, energy, lumber and other resources efficiently; consume less energy, provide higher quality lighting; enhance student and staff health; strengthen the local economy and community; conserve plants, animals, endangered species and natural habitats; protect agricultural, cultural and archaeological resources; enhance indoor environmental quality; safeguard water; be comfortable to learn and work in; teach principals of sustainable design; and be economical to build and operate. Because this new Interdistrict Magnet School is intended to not only accommodate learning, but to be an enduring lesson in design and maintenance for schools throughout the region, it must embody the highest possible architectural and environmental design excellence. The school will be convivial, beautiful, sustainable, humane, functional and responsive to the identity of the purpose of the school as a center for efficiency and sustainability, as well as the cultural and natural forces in the region.
