Education

Cambridge School Complex Receives LEED v4 Platinum Certification

King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools and Community Complex / Photo by Robert Benson Photography

Cambridge, MA – The King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools and Community Complex is Cambridge’s first municipal building to attain LEED v4 Platinum Certification, and the second school in the country to achieve this recognition. The 273,000sf complex, located at 850 Cambridge Street, opened in 2019.

The $159 million facility is also the only school currently in Massachusetts to have attained both net zero emissions and LEED v4 Schools Platinum certification.

The US Green Building Council developed LEED v4 as the next generation standard for green building design, construction, operations, and performance. This version of the rating system includes a rigorous improvement in materials transparency, indoor environment, and occupant wellness.

The facility incorporates many sustainable and energy efficient technologies, including the city’s largest solar array to renewably produce much of the energy needed to power it. The building is designed to use 44% less energy than a typical Massachusetts school.

When designing this facility, the city of Cambridge and its architects, William Rawn Associates and Arrowstreet, embraced two key ideas: the importance of maintaining open space and Cambridge’s commitment to inclusion, community, and lifelong learning.

In an effort to support new ways of teaching and learning, science and technology labs are prominently located, and interactive displays about sustainability and net zero features are located throughout the complex.

Site amenities and open spaces at the complex include two gyms, two basketball courts, the Charles Rossi Bocce Court, five playgrounds, an outdoor splash pad, Cambridge Street Plaza, Valente Reading Garden, a central courtyard/outdoor classroom, and a 380-seat auditorium.