Heartwood Annex Update

The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that in December 2024, our eighth grade classroom, Heartwood Annex, achieved Ready designation for the Living Building Challenge® Core program. This is the first of two steps toward our hope and aim of achieving Core certification. “Core certification pathway lays the holistic foundation for building performance that can be considered sustainable.” (Living Building Challenge Basics)

In addition to being our eighth grade classroom, Heartwood Annex is a widely used gathering and performance space for the entire school community. As weather permits, class plays, music performances, the Rising Ceremony, the Rose Ceremony, and Commencement have all taken place on the stage. On September 10, 2019, we broke ground for this building. The pandemic delayed our occupancy until fall of 2020.

The design process for the Heartwood Annex was a holistic effort incorporating biophilic design strategies from the outset. Through presentations and workshops, students and staff learned the elements of biophilic design and were able to offer input on the most critical elements for them in a learning space such as sunlight, natural ventilation, plants, natural materials, inside and outside spaces, sensory variability, etc. They envisioned a classroom where they could grow, learn, and be inspired; a place where there were a lot of windows and natural light that would allow plants and animals to thrive; a place that felt airy, open and refreshing while still making one feel held and comfortable while inside; a place where they could see the sky; a place that had areas within and around it to hang out in small groups or to be together as a class; a place where they would be able to display their work; and a place that made them feel excited about coming to school everyday. While the hopes for a ladder to view the roof, a large tree that would grow inside, and a river that would run through the middle of the floor did not come to fruition, the eighth grade students have noticed the inlay design of leaves in the ceiling. The window seat is a popular spot to sit and read or watch the clouds as part of meteorology studies.

Waldorf education encourages students to honor and respect the natural world, a guiding principle that informed our design process for this project and approach to designing a Net Zero-ready building that could serve as a teaching tool for students, a healthy learning environment, and a tactile example of sustainable design. This space also inspires the students to be mindful of each other, their school community, and of their broader community.

In the months to come, we will share more about the certification and ways Heartwood Annex can be used as a teaching tool as we celebrate this milestone.

Congratulations!

Kirsten Christopherson-Clark

Head of School