To create an energy efficient school that maximizes daylight, architects Barba & Wheelock connected classrooms with a corridor lit by a Wasco Circular Dome skylight. This provided natural light to the main hallway while achieving a 30% energy savings. It was important for the architects to select a local skylight provider to support the project's LEED certification and their values. The skylight created extraordinary quality of light without increasing energy usage, showing integrated design can achieve environmental and educational goals.

1. Case Study
Brewster Hall, Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, Falmouth, ME
A LEED® Silver Certified Academic Building – the first
for the State of Maine Bureau of General Services
Lead Architect: Nancy L. Barba, AIA, Principal, Barba & Wheelock
LEED® Consultant: Danuta Drozdowicz, LEED® AP, Project Manager, Fore Solutions
Challenge:
To create a one story 10,000 SF school that maximizes daylight without sacrificing energy
efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the nation’s schools spend more
than $6 billion each year for energy. If they all achieved energy savings of 30% through a
combination of operational improvements, efficient and renewable energy technologies,
and better building design – including innovative daylighting strategies – the savings could
be as much as $2 billion.
Solution:
Barba & Wheelock decided to increase daylight by connecting a series of classrooms with a
corridor of light. They chose a Wasco Circular Dome skylight to create a diffused natural lightwell
in the school’s main hallway – a space that also serves as a gathering and conversation area.
Baxter achieved a 30% energy savings in addition to providing great daylight.
Nancy Barba says, “It was important for me to select a local company that could
provide the skylight product that we needed for this project – not only for the school’s
LEED® certification but in support of our firm’s values, as well. On a personal note, I like
the fact that Wasco is committed to local philanthropy and I hold the company in high regard.”
Project Manager, Danuta Drozdowicz adds, “The quality of light in Baxter School’s Brewster Hall is
extraordinary - and that is so important to effective learning and student performance. The fact that this was
achieved without an energy penalty shows that this is a wonderful example of integrated design.”
Nancy Barba, AIA, Principal
Ms. Barba, a licensed architect with the State of Maine, has been a managing
design principal since 1986. She has led projects of all types and sizes for schools
and colleges, municipalities, historical societies, churches, museums and private
residences. Many of these projects involve her expertise in historic preservation
as well as her commitment to social purpose. Ms. Barba is an Advisory Trustee
and former President of Maine Preservation and the Maine Olmsted Alliance for
Parks and Landscapes. In 2006 she was named Maine Preservation’s “Preservation
Champion,” a statewide honor previously held by Senator Olympia Snow and
former Governor Angus King.
Barba & Wheelock • 500 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 • (207) 772-2722
800-388-0293 Fax: 207-216-4562 cs@wascoproducts.com www.wascoskylights.com
Eastern Facility: 85 Spencer Drive, Unit A, Wells, ME 04090 Western Facility: 6645 Echo Avenue, Reno, NV 89506