Willow School

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When the lower school building of the Willow School opened its doors to students in September 2003, it had achieved LEED Gold certification, and was the first LEED-rated independent school in the country and the second LEED-rated building in New Jersey.

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As the lead environmental planners, site designers and landscape architects for the project, we played an integral role in helping this institution become a national model for both holistic education and regenerative development. The Willow School encourages the belief that everything is part of one complex matrix of living systems and incorporates this belief into its curriculum.

The school building it­self is a tool for teaching these lessons, both inside and outside of the classroom.

The students learn in a new way that incorporates their everyday environment into their education and helps them to fully understand the consequences of what might seem to them to be their most insignificant actions— things as simple as turning on a light or flushing the toilet.

Sustainable design elements used in the project include but are not limited to:


  • Native and drought resistant landscaping that does not require irrigation
  • Rainwater harvesting, storage, and reuse as the school’s wastewater supply
  • Improved habitat for birds, butterflies, and small mammals
  • Heat-island effect reduction by providing shade for 33% of all non-roof impervious surfaces using existing and newly planted trees
  • Reduction of light pollution by ensuring that no direct beam illumination leaves the building, no direct beam landscape illumination leaves the site, and no night lighting is used unless there is an evening event
  • Site management practices that restore native plant species, improve biomass, reduce runoff, and result in a more diverse ecosystem
  • Materials, paints, and floor coverings, among other things, that are made of recycled or renewable material, do not emit toxins, and/or are of local origin
  • Constructed wetlands to manage stormwater and to treat human waste to recreational use water standards before being allowed to infiltrate the aquifer

The Willow School is a truly unique building that houses a distinctive educational institution. It has had a powerful impact on how green building and sustainability are viewed in New Jersey. It shows that whole-systems thinking, when applied to development in an educated and committed fashion, is environmentally and economically beneficial in the long run without being a financial drain in the short run. The Willow School will be a model for both education and green development for years to come.

To learn more about the Willow School, visit www.willowschool.org


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