Evergreen Charter School unveiling new eco-friendly Hempstead building

Evergreen Charter School will hold an inauguration ceremony next week for its newly built 85,000-square-foot facility in Hempstead. 

The five-story building, developed on 1.41 acres of vacant land at 33 Laurel Ave., is one of the first mass timber K–12 school buildings on the East Coast and is targeting a LEED Platinum rating. 

Designed by Martin Hopp Architect, and built by Consigli Construction Co., the Hempstead school building uses cross-laminated timber, a net-negative carbon material that replaces steel and concrete in structures and significantly reduces its carbon footprint without raising construction costs, according to a school statement.

The project was one of the winners of the 2022 The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net Zero, which showcase mass timber’s applications in architectural design, and it highlights its role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment. 

The facility, with a capacity for 750 students, includes classrooms, shared spaces for science, art and innovation as well as a library, music/orchestra rooms, a multipurpose café, kitchen, gymnasium, breakout rooms and other common spaces such as a rooftop recreational space. The new school also utilizes solar panels and features green spaces throughout different levels of the facility, including a rooftop garden, according to the statement. 

The new building aims to serve as a community anchor, as an education facility by day, and a community center by night and weekends. Public areas located near the entrance allow flexible use while maintaining secure student zones, according to the statement. 

“Our vision from the beginning was to create a school where all students can thrive academically and socially, and where they become stewards of our planet,” Gil Bernardino and Sarah Brewster, Evergreen’s founders, said in the statement. “This facility proves that inspiring and sustainable design is possible anywhere, for anyone. When we invest in communities like ours in Hempstead, we invest in a better future for everyone.” 

Signage throughout the school explains the role of mass timber, solar shading, and native plant species in reducing environmental impact. Murals and info-stations explain the need for sustainability, embodied carbon, mass timber, and how the building is designed to create a healthy and sustainable environment, according to the statement. 

The public inauguration ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, at 33 Laurel Ave. in Hempstead, followed by a reception at 605 Peninsula Blvd.