The school of the future isn’t just a dream; it’s a reality that’s available today. Exhibited in conjunction with Building Design + Construction magazine, Project FROG’s 1,282-square foot “FROG Zero” classroom can be seen center stage at the 2008 U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.
Project FROG™, which stands for Flexible Response to Ongoing Growth, is a San Francisco-based company founded in 2006 with the mission of designing and manufacturing smart buildings -- high-performance, green building systems for schools that are healthy, quick to deploy, affordable, sustainable and permanent.
Greenbuild Expo marks the debut of FROG Zero, Project FROG’s new zero-energy building that raises the bar for green classrooms. FROG Zero classrooms take full advantage of natural light, use nontoxic and recyclable materials and generate as much energy as they use. Greenbuild visitors will be the first to see one on display.
Touring the Future Now
The FROG Zero classroom incorporates the latest and greatest in eco-friendly sustainable features and products.
- A raised plenum access floor holds the heating, cooling and electrical connections, which frees up the ceiling and walls for a column-free environment.
- Daylighting is optimized by windows that bring in abundant, yet controlled natural light, as well as a high-tech, indirect lighting system with occupancy sensors and daylighting controls.
- Made from predominantly recycled materials, the classroom has configurable window wall systems, tackable wall surfaces and plenty of whiteboards.
- No-VOC recycled carpet tiles and interiors improve indoor air quality.
- Photovoltaic roof panels generate the classroom’s energy while the living roof helps with the building’s temperature control.
The look of the building is bright, colorful, clean and high-tech, featuring large plasma television screens, laptop computers and monitors. On the soft-tech side, the room is dotted with comfortable, ergonomic seating. “The classroom has a lot of built-in technology and the layout is flexible, which allows teachers to easily reconfigure their tables and chairs,” says Tankursley.
A Sum of Its Parts
Project FROG’s building systems are comprised of extremely high-quality, pre-engineered and premanufactured kits. Buildings can be purchased individually or connected to form a variety of campus configurations. Building sizes can range from a single 1,200-square foot classroom to a 20,000 square foot building or an entire school campus.
