hightechhighschool

Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Awarded LEED Gold Certification

Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Awarded LEED Gold Certification 789 444 DMR Architects

The Frank J. Gargiulo Campus, the new, 350,000 square foot high school that opened its doors in September 2018, has achieved LEED Gold certification.

The vocational-technical high school is an icon for sustainability and will soon be awarded the LEED Project of the Year: Schools award from the United States Green Building Council New Jersey Chapter.

The building is equipped numerous sophisticated sustainable elements, such as wind turbines, geothermal heating, 27,000 square feet of solar panels and 20,000 square feet of green roofs, all of which helped the building achieve a total of 75 points.

The project was an intense collaborative effort and included a team of numerous professional services and construction firms, with DMR serving as the architect of record and LEED specialist.

Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Honored with an USGBC NJ LEED Project of the Year Award

Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Honored with an USGBC NJ LEED Project of the Year Award 789 444 DMR Architects

The Frank J. Gargiulo Campus, the new, 350,000 square foot high school that opened its doors in September 2018, has won the LEED Project of the Year: Schools Award from the United States Green Building Council New Jersey Chapter (USGBC NJ).

The vocational-technical high school is an icon for sustainability, equipped with wind turbines, geothermal heating, 27,000 square feet of solar panels and 20,000 square feet of green roofs. Beyond these unrivaled sustainable features, in line with the project-based learning curriculum of the school, a sustainability curriculum was developed surrounding the school’s features. In addition, educational signage throughout the facility, dedicated ecology events throughout the year, a strict commitment to recycling and a green cleaning contract all contribute to the development of life-long sustainable champions within the four walls of the facility. The project is anticipated to receive LEED Gold certification this year.

The project was an intense collaborative effort and included a team of numerous professional services and construction firms, with DMR serving as the architect of record and LEED specialist. The school, part of the Hudson County Schools of Technology system, is home to High Tech High School, KAS Prep and Hudson Technical.

All LEED Project of the Year award winners will be honored at an event on May 22 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.

High Tech High School

The $150M Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Opens in Secaucus

The $150M Frank J. Gargiulo Campus Opens in Secaucus 789 444 DMR Architects

The Frank J. Gargiulo Campus, described as the “gem of high schools in Hudson County,” is open.

Following an aggressive design and construction schedule of less than 2 1/2 years, last week marked the first full week of school on the 20-acre campus in Secaucus, home to High Tech High School, KAS Prep and Hudson Technical.

The new, $150 million facility educates nearly 2,000 students in more than 70 leading-edge classrooms and specialty spaces. The Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) managed the design and construction process for Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) through a team of numerous professionals, which along with DMR Architects, included RSC Architects as bridging architect, MAST Construction Services as owner’s representative and construction manager and Terminal Construction Corporation as general contractor.

The 350,000-square-foot county vocational magnet school combines technically-focused, hands-on learning with a challenging academic curriculum.

“The Frank J. Gargiulo Campus will quickly become the gold standard for technical high schools across the country. Our design team, working collaboratively with our educators, have created something truly revolutionary. I know that it will serve our students and staff with the resources to drive learning to the next level,” says Amy Lin-Rodriguez, acting superintendent of HCST.

Among many advanced features, the new campus includes a fabrication lab, a black box theater, a performing arts auditorium, 80-inch interactive monitors in classrooms, and a TV production studio with a functioning control room. Outdoor features include a hydroponic rooftop garden where students will grow food to be used in the culinary kitchen lab.

This school was designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s (LEED) rigorous gold standards and requirements for sustainability. Features like water efficient landscaping, geothermal heating, green roof and wind turbines were implemented to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and wastewater emitted from the campus.

The new campus was dedicated to the former superintendent of HCST, Frank J. Gargiulo, during a ceremony on September 7.

“I am humbled by the decision to dedicate this campus in my name,” says Frank J. Gargiulo, former superintendent of HCST. “These students are among the brightest in the country and deserve a quality space to study and prepare themselves academically for the future.”

For a complete copy of the project announcement, please click here.