American Modular Systems to Install First GEN7 CHPS PreFAB™ Classrooms for California’s Morgan Hill USD
Manteca, CA May 12, 2016— American Modular Systems (AMS) will install the first GEN7 CHPS PreFAB classrooms on Friday, May 13 at San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School in California’s Silicon Valley. San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School is an Environmental Science Academy that currently serves K-6 students in the Morgan Hill Unified School District and will be increasing capacity to 7th and 8th grades for the 2016/17 school year.
Launched in February, the GEN7 PreFAB is the nation’s first—and only—prefabricated classroom to be pre-verified by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). Designed to be a turnkey sustainable solution for schools, the GEN7 CHPS PreFAB product label designates a permanent modular building that has been pre-approved by California’s Division of the State Architect (DSA) and has successfully completed a stringent third-party review to ensure that it performs to the highest CHPS specifications.
We’re excited to have Morgan Hill as the pilot project for the CHPS PreFAB program,” said Tony Sarich, VP of Operations for AMS and GEN7 Schools. “GEN7 CHPS PreFAB streamlines production and delivery, reducing the time, costs and paperwork involved in purchasing healthy, high performance classrooms. It offers a more cost-effective process for schools, provides a better learning environment for students and substantially lessens a school’s environmental impact.”
GEN7 sets the standard for what a high quality, high performance classroom can be.
According to CHPS Executive Director Bill Orr, the PreFAB Program recognizes exemplary performance, with qualifying classrooms meeting rigorous CHPS criteria for indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials, waste management, resource conservation and other sustainable prerequisites.
“GEN7 sets the standard for what a high quality, high performance classroom can be,” Orr said. “AMS has always been committed to superior indoor environmental quality and advanced energy efficiency, engineering GEN7 classrooms to exceed the 2013 California Title 24 Energy Standards by 40-70% in all climate zones—an impressive performance that can significantly lower a school’s operating costs.”
The Morgan Hill Unified School District CHPS project features two GEN7 modular classroom buildings, designed to accommodate increased enrollment in San Martin/Gwinn’s Dual-Immersion Multicultural Education (DIME) program, which has been extended to include middle school as well as K-6 students. The GEN7 buildings were constructed in the AMS factory in Manteca and will open to students in August.
“We’re delighted to be the first GEN7 CHPS PreFAB classrooms to market and hope that Morgan Hill Unified School District will inspire other school districts to pursue high performance classrooms as part of their modernization and expansion programs,” said Casino Fajardo LEED-GA, Director of Construction and Modernization for Morgan Hill Unified School District. “In addition to being within the Silicon Valley, Morgan Hill has a long history of environmental stewardship. With our diverse agriculture including orchards, vineyards, and farm-to-table cuisine; our local community cares deeply about sustainability. Morgan Hill Unified School District is thrilled to receive these new CHPS environmental science classroom buildings at San martin/Gwinn. The GEN7 PreFABs made it easy and affordable for our school district to achieve their sustainability goals, while helping students learn and thrive in a healthier, more environmentally responsible, classroom space.”