|
William Penn Elementary SchoolSalt Lake City, Utah
William Penn Elementary School, designed by NJRA Architects, received the prestigious “ENERGY STAR” Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for superior energy performance and for being one of the most efficient buildings in the nation. The shape of the building played a major role in this accomplishment. We incorporated several LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles recommended by USGBC (United States Green Building Council) in the design. After reviewing several schemes, a two level floor plan with a compact foot print was selected. Energy efficiency was a major requirement for this prototype. Our main challenge was to enclose 71,000 sq. ft. of building space with minimum area of exterior walls. The ratio of floor area to exterior wall area was very critical in achieving energy efficiency. Exterior walls are expensive to build and heat loss through exterior walls is a major issue. A triangular circulation core with common areas like the media center, group instruction rooms, toilets, mechanical rooms and storage rooms were placed in the center of the triangle. Classrooms were placed on the south side to receive maximum sun light during winter. Sun shades on the south windows helped to screen the hot sun during summer months. |
||||||||||
