Waldorf School Celebrates Completion of Green Complex

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Updated: 7:37 PM Nov 14, 2010 Waldorf School Celebrates Completion of Green Complex The Waldorf School celebrated the completion of its new library and arts building on Sunday. The school built the complex with the environment in mind in an effort to make the school the greenest in America. Posted: 7:11 PM Nov 14, 2010 Reporter: Chris Stover Email Address: chris.stover@newsplex.com

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November 14, 2010

Parents and students from the Charlottesville Waldorf School have a lot to celebrate with the completion of a construction project years in the making.

The Waldorf School celebrated the completion of its new library and arts building on Sunday. The school says it's the first in the country to be built with what's called "passive house" standards.

"It is a very aggressive energy standard. You have to go for air tightness in the building, just a super insulated shell, and so that's one of the things that really distinguishes it," architect Ted Jones said.

It's all in an effort to make the school the greenest in America with an 80 percent decrease in energy consumption, state-of-the-art stormwater management and locally used building materials.

"We wanted to be aggressively green in this project," Jones said.

In its 28-year history in Charlottesville, the Waldorf School has moved from campus to campus. With this new building, that will no longer be the case.

"This gives us a permanent home for the first time ever," said Bobbi Llewellyn, member of the Charlottesville Waldorf School Foundation.

The building also gives students and parents a new sense of community. A place to gather, play and perform.

"I'm really excited to be around parents and be able to listen to the kids play in the orchestra in a space that really serves this community," said Liz Hume Adam, a member of the Waldorf School Foundation.

In a few weeks, 11,000 books will fill the shelves inside while an open-air performance pavilion will accommodate year-round learning.

"Now, we'll be able in this performance pavilion to heat it, even though it's open air, it will be heated and we'll drape the openings when the weather is cold," Llewellyn said.

The Waldorf School does not have enough enrollment to support high school students at this time. School officials say with this new complex, they hope to bring more families to the school, allowing the entire community to grow together.