Hilltop Montessori School Birmingham Alabama

Hilltop’s new school facility is one of the only non-residential green buildings in Alabama and the Southeast. Our project was the first of any kind (including residential, commercial, industrial, civic, institutional or academic) within the state of Alabama to be LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) registered by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification provides a definition of green building and is a U.S. market-based standard to distinguish and promote sustainability. Our school is supported by tuition, generous donations, and grants. Hilltop was the proud recipient of a Legacy Grant in both 2006 and 2007. Fundraising efforts continue on behalf of the PTO and the school. Our most important fundraiser each year is Hilltop on the Green, an evening of fine dining with silent and live auctions.
	LEED certification dictates choices every step of the way, from project design to occupancy. Green construction provides such benefits as enhancing and protecting existing natural habitats, conserving natural resources, reducing solid wastes, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving air and water quality. Our school takes advantage of natural light and is energy-efficient. Students in environments using increased natural light have shown improved school performance. By using available building science and technology, we’re created an indoor environment that is cleaner and healthier, which will lead to lower absenteeism.
Hilltop worked with HKW Architects to design the 2.3 million dollar facility, and we broke ground on the new site at the end of January 2006. In the design process, we hosted a two-day charette, involving a multidisciplinary team of professionals and interested parties, to obtain input. Participants included architects, engineers, and teachers as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy from Colorado and Washington, D.C.; Alabama Power Company; EBSCO Development Company; Jane Reed Ross and Associates; Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates; BEERS Construction; Sherber and Associates Engineering; Interface Inc.; the Auburn University Center for Architecture and Urban Studies; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development Council.
Hilltop decided to retain Birmingham firms HKW Architecture as the lead architects, Jane Reed Ross and Associates as the landscape architects, and JohnsonKreis Construction. We felt it was important to use local architectural-construction firms so that they could learn from our experience and be able to provide these services to others in the area who might choose to build green. Recently, Hilltop was awarded a grant from the Alabama Legacy Foundation that allows conversion of the State of Alabama’s Legacy Environmental Curriculum from group lessons to individual Montessori lessons. Hilltop received construction grants from The Daniel Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.