Project FROG:
Sustainable Building for a Tough Economy

Their motto is “Better, Greener, Faster, Cheaper”—and with these words, Project FROG brings a unique perspective to the building industry. Using a product-based approach, the company designs prefabricated structures that are a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to traditional construction. Not only are their creations highly sustainable, they are also less expensive and quicker to put up.

Constructed with a large quantity of recycled materials, the units are designed in a multitude of ecologically sound ways. A raised-access floor system enables all heating, cooling and data conduits to be located beneath the floor, completely freeing up the space above and allowing building use to change as needed. Energy-efficient systems include daylighting and occupancy sensors to adjust heating and cooling. Lighting is extremely flexible, making liberal use of natural sources. Air is circulated with diffused methods that maintain both healthy quality and optimal thermal comfort. There is no off-gassing from paints or carpets.

Roofs can be either constructed of solar panels or rendered as a “living roof”—a biological growing system that insulates the building, cleanses rainwater, and can be integrated into the school’s curriculum for use as a teaching tool.

The buildings are also extremely modern and aesthetically pleasing, with numerous windows, coordinated color schemes and customizable configurations.

Born out of a research project on the part of an architectural firm that specializes in educational facilities, Project FROG set out to carve a new industry between expensive traditional construction and unhealthy portables—otherwise known as trailers. “We sought to take the best—and throw out the worst—from both areas,” said Nikki Tankursley, Public Relations Director for Project FROG, “ultimately creating the classroom of the future, one that is healthy not only for the users but also for the environment.”

Traditional construction for educational institutions has become incredibly inefficient. Due to the prolonged planning, design and permitting process, which takes three to five years to complete, it is now too time- and cost-prohibitive for most schools, leaving them no option but to put up temporary structures.

“With the surge in California in student enrollment and a concurrent slashing of school budgets, we saw a definite need for high-performance and quick-to-deploy classrooms,” said Tankursley.

Providing designs on a case-by-case basis, with standards superior to most buildings, Project FROG offers a ready-made product that is yet customizable. “It’s a bit like Legos,” Tankursley explained. “While it’s prefabricated, it can be configured many different ways to make larger or smaller spaces and accommodate a variety of uses.” And because the structures are pre-certified, the permitting process is extremely fast. The FROG solution can be used for single stand-alone classrooms all the way up to entire campuses.

Two complete structures have already been built utilizing Project FROG technology: a children’s center at City College of San Francisco and a teaching facility at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School in Sonoma, California. A number of schools are starting in 2009; in fact, Project FROG is being inundated with requests from all over the world to utilize their sustainable building systems.