Pope Francis Preparatory School is a 450-student, 117,000 sf facility that united Cathedral and Mount Holyoke High Schools. The school is on the site of the former Cathedral High School, which was destroyed by a tornado in 2011. With a focus on experiential and collaborative learning, the school includes flexible classrooms, a 480-seat auditorium, band room, cafeteria, administrative offices, chapel, makerspace, teacher workrooms, learning commons, gymnasium, and athletic fields.
The design team placed special emphasis on the quality of the learning spaces, including indoor air quality, sound levels, and daylighting. HVAC systems include dedicated outdoor air systems, air-side energy recovery, demand-control ventilation, and high efficiency pumps and motors. Heating systems utilize low-temperature hot water, maximizing the benefit of condensing boilers. The central kitchen exhaust system includes heat recovery for pre-heating kitchen make-up air. A 130-kW roof-mounted PV array captures renewal solar energy and reduces public electric utility energy use.
Recognition
Learning by Design Architectural Award Showcase, Outstanding Project Award
Services
Mechanical
Electrical
Plumbing
Fire Protection
Technology
Lighting
Metrics
117,000 sf
130 kW Photovoltaic Array
Architect
CBT Architects
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