Berry Elementary School's new building features 90 percent natural light in highly occupied areas.

Houston Independent School District’s Berry Elementary School was recently awarded the Sustainability Design Excellence Award by the Texas and Oklahoma chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and was named a runner-up for the Best of the Year award by Interior Design Magazine.

The awards come just a year after construction was completed on the $15.6 million campus as part of the HISD’s 2007 bond program. That $805 million in funding has helped build 19 new schools so far, with another three slated for completion by the end of 2014.

Gensler architecture firm designed Berry Elementary, located on Berry Road in northeast Houston.

Interior Design magazine is a monthly national design publication for the interior design professional marketplace, featuring best projects in nearly 100 categories with its Best of the Year award.

IIDA is the national professional association for interior designers with an international competition in which interior design projects are judged by a panel of industry leaders. Berry Elementary was submitted in the sustainable category because of its energy-saving design features.

Berry, which serves 750 students in north Houston, is designed to include construction sustainability to promote recycling, energy and water conservation. Berry was also the first public elementary school in Houston to receive LEED Gold certification – a certification used to measure environmentally friendly designs.

Learn more about HISD’s green schools

Built to replace a campus opened in 1950, Berry has environmental enhancements designed not only to save energy, but to complement the environmental studies. The new building features 90 percent natural light in highly occupied areas and automatic lights.

HISD is moving forward with planning for its 2012 bond program, which will renovate or build schools across the district.