Innovative Sprout Space Prefab Classroom On Its Way to the National Building Museum

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/perkins-will/" target="_blank">Perkins + Will</a> has been busy this last year dreaming up innovative new green classrooms - and the fruits of their labor are about to be realized. Their latest project is the <a href="http://www.sproutspace.com/About/Index" target="_blank">Sprout Space</a> prefab modular classroom, and their first working prototype is complete and en route to Washington DC. This March, <a href="http://www.nbm.org/exhibitions-collections/exhibitions/green-schools.html" target="_blank">Sprout Space</a> will debut as the centerpiece of a National Building Museum exhibit on green schools. We are eagerly awaiting final images and a chance to tour the sustainable classroom space ourselves.

Perkins + Will's design rethinks the issues associated with temporary and modular classrooms in order to create a new generation of affordable classrooms that improve learning.

Sprout Space was the modular category winner of the Open Architecture Challenge: Design the classroom of the future by Architecture for Humanity and the <a href="http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/" target="_blank">Open Architecture Network</a>.

“Designing a sustainable future is our passion at Perkins+Will, and we offer the Sprout Space classroom as an example to the world of a more responsible modular classroom,” said Phil Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Perkins+Will. “The development and launch of Sprout Space is another milestone for us as we continue to be a global leader in green building innovation and at the forefront of both K-12 and higher education classroom design.”

The first Sprout Space unit was built in the United States in partnership with distributor Triumph Modular and builder Mark Line Industries.

It features generous daylight through expansive clerestory windows and glass doors. Also included are sun shades, integrated rainwater collection, photovoltaic roof panels, LED lighting coupled with lighting controls, efficient heating and cooling systems.

All the materials in Sprout Space were carefully selected to prevent off-gassing and create the healthiest indoor air quality possible.

Beginning March 3, 2013 Sprout Space will be displayed on the lawn of the <a href="http://www.nbm.org/exhibitions-collections/exhibitions/green-schools.html" target="_blank">National Building Museum</a> in Washington, DC until the end of the year as part of the Green Schools exhibit.