Waldorf School to dedicate new ‘green’ classrooms

COSTA MESA — The Waldorf School of Orange County plans to dedicate environmentally friendly classrooms crafted from recycled shipping containers Friday evening.

Waldorf, a nonprofit private school that includes environmental consciousness in its curriculum, used the containers to expand its 2350 Canyon Drive campus near Fairview Park. The additional space, according to a news release, will allow the school to serve pupils from pre-K to 12th grade.

“We may have to remind people that these classrooms were once shipping containers,” Denise Ogawa, development director for the school, said in a news release. “The transformation is so incredible, as you walk through these rooms, it is quite easy to forget these vessels have traveled the world.”

School officials called the design “Eco Classroom Architecture.” The project won the Costa Mesa Planning Commission’s 2011 Costa Mesa Green Design Award. Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Rob Dickson plans to help dedicate the building.

Also participating in the ceremony and ribbon cutting will be the high school’s orchestra and choir, teachers, administrators, parents and students. An open house will follow.

Waldorf’s new wing includes four classrooms, two sets of bathrooms, a student canteen, administrative and teacher offices and three arts spaces, according to the news release.

The dedication, which begins at 5:30 p.m., is open to the public.

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