AMAA’s Avedisian School is the first educational complex in the region to achieve a LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), meaning that this school will demonstrate efficient management experience of natural and man-made resources in six large areas: sustainable buildings, water use efficiency, energetics and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation, ensuring good environmental awareness and sustainability.
The school complex comprises 7 independant building structures interconnected with seismic expansion joints. The construction is modeled after the Copenhagen UN City. This design solution allows the buildings to shake independently in the event of an earthquake.
The use of energy-efficient and sustainable technologies throughout the construction and operating phases will reduce the building’s energy consumption by 30%, according to the UNDP estimate. This criterion is more stringent than that required in the EU and United States. With its unique solar system, the building is provided with heating, hot water, and electric power for ventilation. Up to date, nowhere else in the world have these three systems been used together.
Grass, trees, and even vegetable gardens have been sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation and planted on the roofs of the buildings. This will provide heat insulation and in turn lower both heating and cooling costs. The most interesting and sustainable advantage from this project is the considerable saving on water consumption. Rainwater flows through pipes, down the roof and into an underground treatment plant, where it is filtered and accumulated in a very large underground pool.
The accumulated water is used to irrigate green zones, flower beds, sport grounds, and for flushing toilets. The roof lawn helps reduce heavy rainwater flow, which could flood sewerage systems and damage the adjacent water ditches. Students can water the green zone themselves and watch the plants grow.
