Arthur W. Ferguson Elementary School
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Constructed in 1958, the original Arthur W. Ferguson Elementary School was meant to be a temporary facility until a new school could be built. The modular facility lasted more than 50 years until it was possible for the School District of the City of York to build the new 90,250 sf school. Having secured a $500,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the project focused not only on making a healthy learning environment for its anticipated 750 students, but also on maximizing energy efficiency.
7group collaborated with EI Associates to develop this project, which earned the 2011 Overall Green Building Design award from the Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania (now USGBC Central Pennsylvania Chapter). 7group led the project team’s design charrettes, provided LEED consulting and specifications, energy modeling and consulting, daylighting analysis services and served as the commissioning authority. Through combined efforts, Ferguson Elementary became the first elementary school in Pennsylvania to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
Working to maximize the open space, the project team designed a three story building to replace the original one story, which took up most of the property. In conjunction with implementing a vegetated roof, the open fields have significantly improved storm water drainage. As part of the school’s effort to utilize the building as a teaching tool, 7group designed an analemmatic sundial and provided teacher training. Geothermal heating and cooling, energy efficient lighting, a zero waste kitchen, copious daylighting and a highly insulated building envelope all contribute to the school’s 47% reduction in energy consumption and 48% reduction in water usage beyond a code compliant building.
Using low-VOC paint, light shelves to maximize natural daylighting, and carpet tiles made from recycled truck tires, each classroom in the new facility is outfitted to create a healthy learning environment. 
The vegetated roof installed over the school’s media center is planted with sedum, further insulating the school and reducing storm water drainage concerns.
Serving 600 lunches and 200 breakfasts daily, the school employs highly efficient appliances and an organic maceration system reducing their kitchen waste to zero. Utilizing gray water rather than potable water in the kitchen’s waste system, the school has managed to save 40,000 gallons of fresh water in one year as well as making compost out of the remaining food waste.
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Location
York, PA, USA
Project Owner
School District of the
City of York
Architect
Mark Barnhardt,
EI Associates
Building Size
90,250 sf
Cost
$18,700,000
Completed
November 2010
LEED® Status
LEED Platinum
(Schools v2.0) Certified
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