The new elementary school designed for the Ivan Downs area on Elrod Road may just be the most energy-efficient school building ever constructed, as reported by the Bowling Green Daily news.  The building is planned to be 80,000-square-foot, and is designed to accommodate up to 750 students from Natcher and Rich Pond elementary schools. Construction began July 2010 and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2011. The new school plans will make it one of the most efficient school buildings in the country.

The plans call for sun tracker light processors, which are essentially 5-foot mirrors that use photo cells to track the natural sunlight throughout the day and rotate to disperse natural light into the building. The lighting causes almost a prism effect so it spreads the light evenly rather than in bright pinpoints.

The building’s aesthetics were designed in an effort to blend the school into the Ivan Downs neighborhood. A dark brick facade was chosen to give it a traditional look with alternating classrooms “stepped out” to break up the appearance of a large building. Stanfield said the renderings have been likened to a row of town homes, because of the careful steps to make it blend into a residential setting.

Ivan Downs Elementary District Information

Once we receive information pertaining to the redistricting for the new Ivan Downs Elementary, we will publish the information to the site.

Ivan Downs Elementary Construction Photo Gallery