Willow School Recognized for Sustainable Design

SOMERVILLE, NJ -- Dancker, Sellew & Douglas (DS&D), a commercial interiors firm specializing in environmentally responsible approaches to workspace design, recently hosted an open house at The Willow School in Gladstone, NJ to promote the methods and benefits for incorporating sustainable concepts into commercial environments and corporate daily activities.

During the course of the event, Steve Lang, vice president and general manager at DS&D, also awarded a $2,500 donation to The Willow School, which was founded in 2000 to combine academic excellence and the wonders of the natural world for students ranging from kindergarten through the eighth grade.

Since, the independent day school has become a model for sustainable design while earning certification from the United States Green Building Council in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. 

“We are proud to be working with The Willow School to promote the latest philosophies and applications of sustainable design,” said Lang. “Green building is becoming increasingly important to the corporate world for reducing energy costs, conserving resources and sustaining the environment. Our company wants to reach the forefront of this movement by partnering with architects, designers, contractors and corporations to realize the same benefits of environmentally-sensitive designs that are featured throughout The Willow School.”

“Our goal is to create a model of excellence,” added Mark Biedron, co-founder of The Willow School. “We are committed to combining academic excellence and the joy of learning with an environment that promotes the wonder, beauty, pleasure and richness of nature. This is achieved by dedicating ourselves to the mastery of the English language, science and the arts in surroundings that fully embrace and preserve the area’s natural beauty.”

Located on a 34 acre campus, The Willow School (www.willowschool.org) is currently comprised of a recently constructed 13,500-square-foot classroom building, an administrative building that was the original farmhouse and additional classroom facilities based in the site’s refurbished barn.

At the heart of each building is the use of sustainable materials that range from stones used in the barn’s original foundation to ceramic tiles, floorboards and lumber that were retrieved and recycled from the demise of numerous other corporate structures and buildings. Even infrastructure items such as glue, wiring and piping were painstakingly researched and selected based on their bio-friendliness and ability to foster the school’s sustainable design concept.

As for the grounds themselves, each classroom within The Willow School features numerous skylights and windows specifically positioned to harvest sunlight throughout the day and reduce the dependence on lighting fixtures and electricity at all times.

Rainwater is also collected on site and used for numerous activities including within restrooms. Garbage is turned to compost to nurture the school’s many natural meadows, butterfly gardens, flowers and foliage. In addition, high-efficiency gas heating is supplemented by solar panels, while the ground’s wetlands are used for the filtration and treatment of wastewater, which then returns clean water to the school’s groundwater system.

“The Willow School has already become recognized as one of the top five LEED facilities in the nation,” further explains Lang. “It has provided an excellent example in how we all can work together to better use our natural resources and create a greener, safer environment for all future generations.”

Over the past 175 years, Dancker, Sellew and Douglas has evolved into a single-source provider of innovative furniture, lighting products and asset management solutions to the architectural, commercial office, facilities management, educational, healthcare and laboratory marketplaces.

Current clients include numerous leading corporations and institutions including Glaxo Smith Kline, Anheuser Busch, Wachovia, Coldwell Banker, Cingular Wireless, Johnson & Johnson family of companies, Novartis, Commerce Bank, Selective Insurance, Syracuse University, Bristol Myers Squibb, PSE&G, Merck & Company and Turner Construction.

For more information, please contact 1-908-231-1600 or visit www.dancker.com.