The Capital Area Food Bank is excited to announce that the outdoor classroom has been selected to be the 2015 Greenbuild Expo Legacy Project! Here’s what the sustainable building community had to say about it.
The CAFB will receive a $10,000 grant toward the construction of the classroom and be featured at the Greenbuild Expo, a national event being held in Washington, D.C., this November. The classroom will be located in the Urban Demonstration Garden and allows the food bank to maximize the garden’s educational potential, which will provide more vivid, hands-on learning opportunities to partners and clients.
This victory is ultimately an illustration of the power of volunteers. In April of last year, HKS Architects Associate Amber Wirth volunteered in the garden. She mentioned that her firm was looking for pro-bono projects that would benefit the community. This opened up an opportunity to discuss the need for an outdoor teaching space.
Then, this past November, she approached the CAFB with the idea of collaborating on a project for the Greenbuild contest. In record time, a team of CAFB staff, HKS architects and staff from Clark Construction put together an entry. The innovative design incorporates edible plants, rainwater collection and solar power. In addition to teaching equipment, it will house a small outdoor kitchen, where staff may conduct cooking demonstrations and nutrition education.
On February 26th, team members from the CAFB, HKS and Clark attended the US Green Building Council’s Green Tie Affair, a networking event for local professionals involved in the green building industry. The CAFB competed with three other finalists for votes from the attendees. All of the finalists had worthy projects, but the voters ultimately chose the CAFB for the 2015 Legacy Project!
As if that weren’t enough good news, the CAFB is also delighted to thank John and Diana Jaeger and YCRI for their generous donation of $26,000 to cover the additional construction costs for the classroom. With the total costs covered, building will soon commence!
Thanks goes out to the US Green Building Council for using this project to give back to the community at large, and to HKS Architects and Clark Construction for working with the CAFB to create a winning plan. Check back later this year to see the classroom in action!