Brewster Hall, Governor Baxter School for the Deaf

Location: Falmouth, Maine

Overview

LEED Standing

Silver

Project Team

Barba + Wheelock
Builder: HE Callahan Construction

This certified LEED(tm) Silver project is a pre-K-8 school, comprised of classrooms, a special needs classroom, lobby, library and community adult education space. The structure is connected to and within the current campus complex. Built into the site and sloped to the south, the structure takes full advantage of the southern exposure and view of Casco Bay.

In a setting for deaf students, artificial and natural lighting presents a demanding set of criteria to ensure success. The challenge in designing a classroom for deaf students is in maximizing the daylighting, to reduce both lighting and cooling loads on a building and create a more inviting atmosphere, without negatively impacting the deaf student’s environment. By using light shelves and roof monitors to bounce light, daylight is introduced into the classrooms while minimizing glare.