Sustainability in Schools: Environmental Considerations and the Future of Educational Design
By funkhaus
Sustainability is increasingly shaping how educational spaces are designed, from site planning to systems and material choices, as part of an integrative approach to design. Commitments to net-zero carbon, climate resilience, and user health are driving decisions at every scale, often beginning with fundamentals like daylighting, solar integration, and biophilic materials. In practice, this means implementing efficient mechanical systems, stronger ventilation strategies, thoughtful building orientation, and the use of healthy, non-toxic materials. It also means designing for longevity through durable construction and flexible planning. These approaches not only improve energy performance, but create better everyday environments for students — spaces that foster curiosity, focus, and a deeper connection to their surroundings.
Performance and Learning
High-performance design has a direct impact on how students experience schooling. New studies link modernized schools to better academic performance — cleaner, well-circulated air has been shown to support both health and cognitive performance, while access to daylight improves focus and overall wellbeing.
At Brooke Charter School in Roslindale, these principles come together in a high-performance addition that prioritizes daylighting and environmental quality. Improved insulation and envelope design are not only crucial sustainable design elements, but also enhance acoustic performance, reducing noise and helping students concentrate on the task at hand. The use of mass timber and a high-performance curtain wall system supports both sustainability goals and a faster, less disruptive construction process — an important factor on an active campus.
Applying Experience to Educational Design
Studio Luz draws on experience in high-performance housing, including Passive House-certified work, to inform our approach to schools. This includes a focus on airtight construction, effective insulation, and high-efficiency building systems, paired with careful attention to detail, where small decisions can significantly impact overall performance.
Equally important is designing spaces that work well for everyone, and paying attention to how accessible, comfortable, and thus inclusive they are. For Brooke Charter School, accessibility improvements became an opportunity to rethink how the building functions. A new elevator and stair core, located in the courtyard, connects the campus while encouraging use of an underutilized outdoor space.
On another project, Massasoit Community College, Studio Luz explored sustainability via adaptive reuse — taking an existing structure and revitalizing the space. This approach allows us to keep what works, and incorporate new elements that provide for students’ needs. In this instance, that meant using color-coded programs, supergraphics, and intuitive visual cues, the design to support wayfinding for a diverse student body, including those navigating language differences or unfamiliar spaces — expending our energy in ways that help students, while preserving energy elsewhere.
Sustainability and Care
Our work on Evergreen Meadow Academy also shows just how closely sustainable principles are tied to wellbeing. This forthcoming school, which will support young girls in recovery from trauma, is designed as a Passive House, net-zero–ready campus. Notably, the project uses mass timber not only for its environmental benefits, but for its ability to create warm, restorative spaces. Ongoing engagement with stakeholders has been central to the design, ensuring the environment feels welcoming and supportive rather than institutional — an essential quality for this kind of residential treatment and educational setting.
Looking Forward
Sustainable school design is ultimately about more than building performance — it’s about creating environments that support health, learning, and long-term resilience, while modeling values that students can carry forward. For our team, this means designing schools that are efficient, adaptable, and inclusive, with careful attention to both how they meet sustainability goals and how they are experienced every day.
Studio Luz Brooke Team: Hansy Better Barraza, Anthony Piermarini, Leena Ismail, Sarah Pumphrey, Kaitlin Pettenger, Paul Dahlke
Studio Luz Massasoit Team: Hansy Better Barraza, Anthony Piermarini, Leena Ismail, Sarah Pumphrey, Ignacio Lopez
[Architect of Record for Massasoit renovations: Jones Architecture]
Studio Luz Evergreen Team: Hansy Better Barraza, Sophie Nahrmann, Paul Dahlke, Leechen Zhu