A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on August 6 for NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee, Fla., the state’s first net-zero K-12 school.
The 44,820-sf STEM school, which opens officially on August 12 for 500 students, is designed and built to use 76% less energy than a regular school, and to save $115,000 per year in energy costs. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting was the design architect and SE on this project.
NeoCity Academy’s features include a roof that hosts 650 self-ballasted solar panels that will produce 228 kW of energy. The school is targeting an Energy Use Intensity rate of 20, compared to the 65-75 EUI rate of an average building.
For Philip Donovan, Little’s project architect, NeoCity Academy is his third net-zero school. “Every project faces challenges,” he tells BD+C. “With a project like NeoCity, they are often encountered as we evaluate and choose what may be new systems and details that are not typical for client stakeholder groups or building contractors.”
At NeoCity Academy, the Building Team chose a concrete tilt-wall building envelope with 7¼-inch panels that are secured to one another and the structural steel infill; punched storefront openings, and a code minimum TPO roofing system. A very low air leakage rate was specified to allow for a reduction in the size of the mechanical systems. To ensure the building skin is as tight as possible, a new approach to the building joints, at locations where the envelope would be weakest, deployed low-tech sealant components to create redundant series of seals.
Donovan adds that Gilbane Building Company, the project’s CM at Risk, did a “tremendous job” coming up with a step-by-step manual for each detail type, which ensured that every subcontractor knew what its work should look like and what every other scope of work should look like in connection to its own.
The 44,820-sf, three-story K-12 school will serve 500 students. Image: Little
The three-story school took 16 months to design and build, at a construction cost of $13,292,000. It was delivered on time and within budget. And the building is expected to produce more energy than it consumes. The Building Team included CMTA (MEP, fire alarm engineer), Redmon Design (landscape architect), and Hanson Walters (CE).
“We have proven that there is a more cost- and energy-efficient way to build schools with minimal premiums,” says Marc Clinch, Chief Facilities Officer for Osceola School District. “The high-performance component at NeoCity Academy represents a less than six-year return on the investment and just an additional three years for the solar panels. This is phenomenal for a building that will be here for decades to come.”
The school includes an incubator/gathering area for students and teachers, and a “mixer” space that provides connections to the outdoors, the building system, and materials. The building is designed to be used as a teaching tool.
Instead of a cafeteria and to reduce operational costs, the school is incorporating a food cantina truck.
After BD+C posted this article, Clinch said that he had recently made a presentation about NeoCity Academy at an event conducted by the Florida Educational Facilities Planning Association, which represents 67 school districts in the state. “There was a lot of interest” in net-zero construction, he said. And Osceola School District has since conducted several school tours for representatives from other districts.
Clinch says that the cost of net-zero design and construction is “a no brainer” when one considers the savings in energy costs that, theoretically, could be diverted to paying teachers more at a time when school districts are struggling to control their operational costs.
He added that a key to building a successful net-zero school is building extensive and elaborate mockups, which in the case of NeoCity Academy helped to expose flaws in window installation and panel sealing before actual construction began.
Image: Little
Image: Little
Related Stories
University Buildings | May 5, 2023
New health sciences center at St. John’s University will feature geothermal heating, cooling
The recently topped off St. Vincent Health Sciences Center at St. John’s University in New York City will feature impressive green features including geothermal heating and cooling along with an array of rooftop solar panels. The geothermal field consists of 66 wells drilled 499 feet below ground which will help to heat and cool the 70,000 sf structure.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 17, 2023
World's largest multifamily building pursuing ILFI Zero Carbon certification under construction in Washington, D.C.
The Douglass, in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8, is currently the largest multifamily housing project to pursue Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).
Energy Efficiency | Apr 7, 2023
Department of Energy makes $1 billion available for states, local governments to upgrade building codes
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering funding to help state and local governments upgrade their building codes to boost energy efficiency. The funding will support improved building codes that reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency, according to DOE.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023
Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands
HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator.
Government Buildings | Mar 24, 2023
19 federal buildings named GSA Design Awards winners
After a six-year hiatus, the U.S. General Services Administration late last year resumed its esteemed GSA Design Awards program. In all, 19 federal building projects nationwide were honored with 2022 GSA Design Awards, eight with Honor Awards and 11 with Citations.
Geothermal Technology | Mar 22, 2023
Lendlease secures grants for New York’s largest geothermal residential building
Lendlease and joint venture partner Aware Super, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, have acquired $4 million in support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to build a geoexchange system at 1 Java Street in Brooklyn. Once completed, the all-electric property will be the largest residential project in New York State to use a geothermal heat exchange system.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Affordable Housing | Feb 22, 2023
Passive House, sustainability standards meet multifamily development
These multifamily developments are not only Passive House (PHIUS) certified, but affordable for tenants.
Senior Living Design | Feb 15, 2023
Passive House affordable senior housing project opens in Boston
Work on Phase Three C of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, a 55-apartment midrise building in Boston that stands out for its use of Passive House design principles, was recently completed. Designed by The Architectural Team (TAT), the four-story structure was informed throughout by Passive House principles and standards.
Sustainability | Feb 9, 2023
University of Southern California's sustainability guidelines emphasize embodied carbon
A Buro Happold-led team recently completed work on the USC Sustainable Design & Construction Guidelines for the University of Southern California. The document sets out sustainable strategies for the design and construction of new buildings, renovations, and asset renewal projects.