It started with a simple vision, expressed by Shawano Schools District staff in our building planning meetings. They wanted their new elementary school to be environmentally friendly, constructed using durable, high-quality materials, built in a way that would allow for easy future expansion, and most importantly, designed completely for the young students who would be making the start of their school career. The result was far more impressive—the first LEED Gold-certified primary school in the nation. The facility’s design boasts a dazzling array of sustainable systems and concepts—from a geothermal heating and cooling system featuring 250 vertical wells to multiple daylighting elements and high-efficiency masonry cavity walls. What’s more, the building was constructed using a variety of locally sourced, high-recycle content materials. The use of the facility itself is even an example of maximum efficiency—beyond serving its own students, the school hosts classes for the entire District and local community colleges. In addition to design, construction and engineering services, Somerville also provided the District with comprehensive pre-referendum assistance for this ground-breaking project.