Grandy Village Learning Center

The sun sparkling off the Elizabeth River, the wind blowing through tall grasses, the crunch of crushed shells underfoot and the voices of preschoolers rising above the sounds of birds will all have the same thing in common as of September 2010 – the Grandy Village Learning Center (GVLC).

The 15,000 square foot, $4.1 million GVLC hosted a grand opening on September 1.

The building, US Green Building Council's LEED Gold certified, is 30-40 percent more energy efficient than conventional buildings. It will become home to pre-school programs for Norfolk Public Schools and the STOP Organization’s Head Start and offers a wet classroom for school children to learn about river ecosystems.

Currently, the Elizabeth River Project’s Learning Barge is berthed at the GVLC and it is the first time it has taken up residence in the City of Norfolk. In addition to its usual tours and school groups, the Elizabeth River Project staff will work with the Norfolk Public Schools’ preschool program in developing a curriculum for younger children. This 120-by-32 foot floating classroom is powered entirely by sun and wind.

Additionally, the GVLC showcases state-of-the-art environmental design, wetlands reclamation as well as aquatic education and recreation on the Elizabeth River. Norfolk’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Open Space will have a canoe and kayak launch and water safety programs available.

These efforts are breathing new life into a portion of the river largely written off as dead and expediting the Elizabeth River Project’s goal of making the river fishable and swimmable by 2020.

During construction, approximately 70 percent of building materials were recycled. The building process also uses structural insulated panels, which are made by sandwiching a core of rigid foam insulation between two structural skins of oriented strand board and result in lower heating and cooling costs, as well as four inches of expanded foam in all exterior walls. Double-glazed low-E windows, which reduce heat loss but admit solar gain, and low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints were also utilized.

The center offers an expansive community room overlooking the riverfront, a wetlands pavilion, observation pier with floating dock and a wetlands trail.
The center was built by Henderson Incorporated (Williamsburg, VA) and designed by NRHA and RRMM Architects (Chesapeake, VA).

Read letter from Senator Warner