The Sage School

Project Description

The Sage School was founded in 2009 to redefine humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Focused on adolescents, the school combines modern brain science with a curriculum centered on human ecology and engaging experiences designed to promote self-awareness, community responsibility, and a sense of place. Since its founding, the school had been located on a 4.2-acre property containing two modular buildings, a main building, and a greenhouse.

In creating a new campus and permanent home for The Sage School, it’s leaders and trustees sought a design that would reflect the school’s philosophical foundation, curriculum, and vision of helping to create sustainable and thriving human and ecological communities. Seeking the most ecologically advanced design, architecture, and building, the school opted to pursue the Living Building Challenge (LBC). The Sage School has also chosen to locate its new campus within Quigley Farms, a neighborhood community centered around agriculture and dedicated to sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits.

As the natural water systems consultant on a team lead by The Miller Hull Partnership, Biohabitats was responsible for ensuring that the building’s water infrastructure met the stringent requirements of the LBC’s Water Petal, including the imperative that the building be net positive in terms of its water use. This included engineering and design of systems to provide potable water via an onsite well, harvest and treat rainwater for reuse in the greenhouse, capture and treat stormwater on site without connecting to the municipal storm sewer, and connecting to the community onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system.