What is Green?

WHAT is GREEN? Often misconstrued, the term building ‘GREEN’ derives from practices of sustainable design and holistic building practices which directly promote the conservation of our natural resources while reducing the overall environmental impact. Green design strategies work directly with nature to reduce overall energy consumption and lower life-cycle cost of a building. In the eclectic field of design for young children, building GREEN can hold many benefits to its occupants such as:

1. Improved indoor air quality (IAQ) = proven to better the health of its users
2. Increased daily production in children and staff. Healthy building = Happy building
3. Reduced operating and maintenance costs = better insulated & more efficient building shell lowers monthly utility bills
4. Reduced resource consumption

What is LEED?

LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the US Green Building Council's flagship program which has set the national standard for determining what constitutes a green building. What this really means is that there is a documented certification process in place for sustainable GREEN designs. The LEED Rating System™ provides a complete framework for raising building performance in an effort to conserve natural resources and maximize occupant well-being.  LEED™ emphasizes both state-of-the-art as well as common sense design and construction strategies for creating buildings that truly support a healthy and sustainable future.

What This All Means to Us?

At Horizons Design/MLAA we understand just how important our natural resources and environment are to our everyday well-being, especially to our children. Through tangible elements and systems such as recycled materials, accessible green roofs, water collection devices, composting toilets, and innovative natural ventilation techniques, our buildings transform into sustainable discovery museums, educating our future clients towards a bright and healthy future.

We strongly believe that a healthy, sustainable indoor and outdoor environment are key fundamental components to all of our projects; large or small.

Our Projects

O'Brien Family Center
PNC Bank, Pittsburg, PA
LEED Silver Certified

303 Second Street Child Care Center
Bright Horizons, San Francisco, CA
LEED Certified

Gary Schultz Child Care Center at Hort Woods (under construction)
Pennsylvania State University, State College PA
LEED Gold Certification (target)

Jamaica Plain Child and Family Care Center (design development)
Associated Early Care and Education, Jamaica Plain, MA
LEED Gold Certification (target)

Pathways to Nature: Nature-based Preschool (phase 1 design)
Boston Nature Center, Boston MA
LEED Platinum target - Carbon Neutral (and beyond)