Choate Rosemary Hall — the prestigious private school in Wallingford — boasts the Kohler Environmental Center. It’s the 1st teaching and research center in US secondary education, a model of self-sustaining architecture, and the 1st education structure to achieve LEED certification by the US Green Building Council.
Students live and learn in the building, which is nearly “off the grid.” Electricity is produced on-site, and they grow their own food.
Choate’s Kohler Center
When the Kohler Center received a big award on Thursday from the American Institute of Architects’ New York chapter, several Westporters were more than interested observers.
Kevin Smith was the principal architect. He’s a partner in the international firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects (and, with his wife Deirdre O’Farrelly, designed the Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Branson Hall).
Westport’s Landtech provided site planning, and civil and environment engineering services, for the project.
As for “Kohler”: The project was written by Herbert Kohler, of plumbing products fame. He’s a Choate grad. When he was a football quarterback there — back in the day — he handed the ball off to a halfback named Earl Smith.
Earl has lived in Westport for years — and was a longtime Staples assistant football coach, under Paul Lane.