With many schools busting at the seams, about 7.5 million
students in the
States
300,000 portable classrooms. Sadly, architect Allen Post says, “These
classrooms are often times dark. They are often times loud, and they are not
really conducive to learning.”
A few years back, Perkins + Will, an architectural firm with
offices in major cities worldwide, started devoting some of its minds,
including Post’s, to the problem of how to build better spaces for today’s
students—in urban, suburban and rural areas. The firm leaned on its experience
designing more than 2,500 schools in the past 75 years, and released Sprout
Space in January, a sustainably built modular classroom fit for the 21st
century.
The 1,008-square-foot Sprout Space is a ready-made solution,
outfitted with a photovoltaic array on its roof, a nifty rainwater collection
system and space for an educational garden. Unlike other portable classrooms,
this one has plenty of windows.
Mark Line is the manufacturer – Triumph Modular is the
distributor (for the East Coast). They are the exclusive manufacturer
east of the
at National BuildingMuseum was built at Mark Line’s
plant.
“There have been studies that show that natural
daylight in the classroom increases student performance up to 21 percent,” says
Post. For approximately $150,000, the classroom can be transported—in pieces on
two semi-trucks—anywhere in the country and constructed in 60 days.
Contact John R. Morrison, LEED Green Associate; Marketing +
Business Development Director for more information
