Antilles Elementary School D/B RFP and Commissioning, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico

Working hand-in-hand with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), RS&H delivered a new elementary school at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico that was designed with DoDEA’s 21^st Century School concepts and principles, all while staying within the programmed budget. This school was part of a major program by DoDEA to rebuild many of their schools worldwide to meet 21^st century design ideals.

This sustainable school was designed to meet LEED Silver certification, it included sustainable elements, such as photovoltaics, wind tubines, water recycling, low-flow plumbing fixtures, daylighting, and a green roof. With power being extremely expensive in Puerto Rico, these sustainable elements also provide a short payback by reducing the cost to the school as well as providing hands-on learning opportunities to the students.

To encourage collaboration amongst teaches and students, the design team incorporated a variety of flexible and different sized spaces throughout the school. These include studios, group learning spaces, and 1-to-1 areas.

In addition to providing design, RS&H also supported DoDEA by providing construction administration services and Enhanced Commissioning to fully commission the building systems and ensure long-term performance.

“The support and participation from the Puerto Rico Schools, Fort Buchanan personnel, Corps of Engineers (Norfolk and Jacksonville Districts) and the RS&H Design Team made this a very successful kick-off to this project. The teamwork involved by all was the best that I have experienced.” – Doug Ledford, DDESS Engineer