Small Friends on Nantucket

The construction of The Small Friends of Nantucket 6,400 sq. ft. early learning center was completed in the summer of 2008 and is seeking LEED® Gold certification. This will be the first LEED certified commercial building on the Island of Nantucket.

Many innovative building materials were used to construct Small Friends. The doors are made of wheat plant parts and the linoleum tiles are manufactured with flax seed paneling formed of sunflower seed husks. The wood floors are bamboo, a sustainable plant growing in popularity with construction and design professionals.

The south-facing roof holds photovoltaic solar panels to provide all of the building’s power which will save the school in electricity costs. Sensor-controlled fluorescent lighting in the classrooms and large windows also play in roll in saving the school on lighting costs. The sensors turn lights on when someone enters a classroom and then are timed out if they do not sense any movement. The windows allow more natural sunlight and reduce the amount lighting fixtures necessary for each classroom.

The building does not have a mechanical HVAC system, instead the school’s cupola opens and closes by itself depending on the temperature needs of the building. Also all windows have special sensor-controlled blinds to control the amount of light and heat entering the building from the outside. Small Friends is just one more example of J.K. Scanlan’s dedication to green building.

Additional Information

Architect: Chip Webster & Associates
Owner: Small Friends Nantucket, Inc.
Location: Nantucket, MA
Value: $3.3M