Earning the USGBC Central Pennsylvania Chapter’s 2011 Overall Excellence Green Building Design award, the Arthur W. Ferguson Elementary School of the York School District also achieved LEED Platinum (Schools v2.0) certification in February of 2012, becoming the first school in Pennsylvania to attain a LEED Platinum rating.
A collaborative effort between the York County Community Foundation’s (YCCF) Energy Program, 7group and EI Associates, the newly constructed York, PA, school replaced the original 1958 facility initially built as a temporary fix for the school district. With the school district securing a $500,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the project team was able to focus on maximizing energy efficiency as well as creating a healthy learning environment for the anticipated 750 students. Geothermal heating and cooling, energy efficient lighting, a zero waste kitchen, and a highly insulated building envelope all contribute to the high performance school’s 42% reduction in energy consumption. As part of the school’s effort to utilize the building as a teaching tool, a vegetated roof was employed as well as an analemmatic sundial (designed by 7group) with open-air seating outside the school’s media center.
A grant from the YCCF Energy Program has enabled 7group to participate in follow-up performance studies and education of the building occupants. Post occupancy evaluation studies are currently being conducted on thermal comfort, lighting, indoor air quality and energy performance. Teacher and staff training regarding the daylighting design and controls as well as the HVAC controls has been conducted to improve operations in alignment with design goals. Teacher training on how to use the sundial was also included to enable its integration into the school’s curriculum.
Marking the 80th LEED certified project our portfolio, 7group is eager to continue collaborating with innovative project teams on such forward-thinking projects.