Lori McGilpin, Capital Campaign and Communications Manager of The Nueva School, told Greenroofs.com, “…The green architecture of the Hillside Learning Complex has helped transition Nueva into becoming a green school that not only serves as a living laboratory for our students and a model for other schools but also reinforces Nueva?s overall commitment to environmental sustainability…” (Personal Communications, 2008).

The Nueva School Hillside Learning Complex was named a “2008 Top Ten Green Project” in the U.S. by the AIA COTE. The green architecture of the Hillside Learning Complex has helped transition Nueva into becoming a green school that not only serves as a living laboratory for our students and a model for other schools but also reinforces Nueva?s overall commitment to environmental sustainability. “Source: Agilewaves, Inc., Press Release and Mercury News (see below): The Pre K-8 independent Nueva School, in Hillsborough, CA recently completed their green school. Nueva School?s green innovations include a 30 kW solar system and two ?living roofs?.

Designed by ecological design firm Rana Creek, the school?s roofs are planted with native grasses and wild flowers that not only preserve the area?s natural ecosystem, but also help to insulate the buildings, reduce the energy required to heat and cool them, mitigate storm water runoff and minimize the heat-island effect. The plants selected for the Nueva School roofs also provide a natural habitat for the endangered Bay Checkerspot butterfly. The first greenroof measures 2,575 sf and sprouts native grasses above the school’s cafeteria and second is a 7,500 sf plot of six native species atop the library, where California poppies are blooming. The Nueva School, Hillside Learning Complex earned a spot on the AIA Committee on the Environment’s 2008 Top Ten Projects.

?The Nueva School is committed to teaching our students about human impact on the environment, so we are thrilled with the deployment of this unique innovation,? said Diane Rosenberg, executive director Nueva School. ?The Resource Monitor gives Nueva School a way to measure the impact of our proactive environmental initiatives and our students a state-of-the-art pedagogic tool for learning about how we can mitigate climate change. Additionally, it will be a vital tool for the facilities managers to monitor the conditions and efficacy of the living roof to maintain the roof?s health.? Agilewaves, Inc., provided and installed their Resource Monitor? in Nueva School. The system is the most in-depth monitoring device ever installed in a school and will be used to measure and display both standard utilities (gas, electricity and water), and the impact of innovative green architectural systems on the buildings? overall carbon footprint. The information gleaned from the Agilewaves Resource Monitor will be featured in the school?s science curriculum and will serve as a tool for facilities managers.

Agilewaves and Rana Creek worked with the San Francisco Estuary Institute to determine the performance characteristics of the roofs that the Agilewaves Resource Monitor measures, including:

1) Thermal insulation and cooling through water loss by vegetation and evaporation (evapotranspiration): Agilewaves monitors the temperature, humidity and soil moisture to provide real time data about the efficacy and general condition of the roof for maintenance and management.
2) Stormwater mitigation/retention: Agilewaves monitors the flow of stormwater through the roof
3) Stormwater filtration: Agilewaves monitors the quality of the water coming off the living roof as the soil and roots filter pollutants.