Santa Fe’s newest elementary school opened in August 2010. The school’s design is a contemporary interpretation of northern New Mexico “village” vernacular, intended to harmonize with the surrounding neighborhood. Care was taken to select colors and materials that reflect the site’s natural landscape.

The design promotes a sustainable learning environment for 467 students in grades K-6. Each classroom enjoys direct access to an enclosed, outdoor, nature-based learning area. The outdoor classrooms play an important role in the project-based, STEM curriculum at Amy Biehl. Outdoor learning benefits include improved physical health, increased knowledge retention, and heightened sensory awareness due to direct connections with natural elements.

The LEED Gold certified school incorporates such energy efficient design features as:

• Sloped roofs and clerestory windows that admit natural daylight into every classroom
• Photo sensors that automatically switch off artificial lighting on bright days, eliminating the heat generated by lighting and thus reducing the demand for cooling
• A rainwater harvesting system that collects runoff into a system of cisterns and retention ponds, where it is stored for later use in watering the drought-tolerant landscaping
• A ground source heat pump HVAC system that uses the earth as a natural insulator, heating and cooling the facility at reduced energy cost to the District

These features, along with the reflective, energy-efficient, ozone-resistant TPO roof and a solar photovoltaic array, significantly reduce energy consumption compared to other traditionally built schools of the same size.

Amy Biehl Community School was recognized as a U. S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School in 2014, in part due to its innovative, sustainable design.