In the heart of Watertown, Massachusetts, a new kind of high school is rising. The new Watertown High School will be the first LEED Platinum 4.0 and Net Zero Energy high school in the United States, a building that will produce as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. It is a flagship project for a community that has made climate resiliency part of its building code and part of its identity.

"When it opens this spring, the new Watertown High will be completely self-sustaining and all electric," said Mark Sideris, president of the Watertown City Council.

A tiny site with big ambitions

The four-story high school sits on just four acres near the center of the city. To make it work, designers went up instead of out.

Two stories of community space sit on top of a 128-space under

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