Earlier this month, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR applications were processed for two projects completed by Shiel Sexton for Lebanon Community School Corporation – Lebanon High School expansion/renovation and Central Elementary School renovations. Shiel Sexton’s mechanical designer of record, Durkin & Villalta Partners Engineering, completed the assessment and the results were incredible! Lebanon High School earned a rating of 90 with energy use down 50% even though the school was expanded by 100,000 SF and air conditioning was added to the gymnasium spaces. Central Elementary School scored a 99 with energy use down 32% from before the renovations.
What does this mean? As reported on its website, EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A score of 50 represents median energy performance, while a score of 75 or better indicates your building is a top performer. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. With scores of 90 and 99 respectively, Lebanon High School and Central Elementary School are operating at almost the BEST energy performance. That equals huge savings in energy bills to Lebanon Community School Corporation despite adding 100,000 SF to the high school. Impressive!
“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment, “ said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification.”
The ratings were assessed after two full years of use for each school after construction was complete in late 2013. As design-builder of the project, Shiel Sexton completed an extensive renovation and addition to Lebanon High School. A new two-story addition was added to the main entrance side of the building with smaller expansions to the dining, kitchen, industrial technology and delivery areas. The majority of the existing areas of the high school were renovated and upgraded with a new space plan that reflects a better circulation pattern and includes multiple energy efficient improvements. HVAC and the building controls system were replaced along with upgrades to the auditorium and site.
In addition to construction activities at the high school, Central Elementary School received mechanical renovations and a new HVAC system. An additional seven facilities including the middle school, three elementary schools and three service buildings all had new controls installed. The project was completed in multiple phases over two years to allow the school to continue operations. BIM was not required on this project, however the Shiel Sexton team utilized laser scanning and BIM software to verify existing conditions and allow for any necessary design modifications prior to starting work in each phase of the existing high school that was constructed in 1958 and underwent multiple additions/in-fill prior to 2011.
This project represents another successful design-build partnership with immensely successful results, and Shiel Sexton is proud of the team’s accomplishments.