|
CORLEY REDFOOT
ZACK
|
|
The 22-acre site, and
the desire for
sustainable development influenced many aspects of the architectural design. Moderate to steep
slopes around the site, a perennial stream that bisects the site and an
adjacent wetland all contributed to limiting the buildable area. Providing
proper orientation for the school to maximize solar efficiency was also
crucial to the high performance features. As a result of these factors, an
E-shaped plan was developed that responded to the site in a sensitive fashion
and provided the potential of harnessing the sun's energy in numerous ways.
The daylighting dormer system is an integral part of the school design. Many other systems within the building were designed to enhance the daylighting systems. The color of the roof is a limestone color. The light helps by reflecting the sun's heat, reducing the heat island effect, and also assists in daylighting by reflecting sunlight to the adjacent dormer windows. The baffles that are designed to diffuse the sunlight and eliminate beam sunshine in occupied areas are also acoustically absorbent. These help to create an acoustically appropriate environment for teaching and learning. Finally, the steeper than normal roofs (6 in 12) used to create the shed dormers also provide space for a mechanical platform above the corridors in which the air-handling equipment is placed. This enhances the acoustical environment of the classrooms by eliminating the source of fan noise.
The lighting controls provide an “off” position and an “auto” position so staff cannot override the system and turn on all the lights, thus defeating the energy-saving system. Finally, an occupancy sensor is provided in each space so the lighting fixtures will turn off automatically when the room is unoccupied, saving additional dollars. A photovoltaic panel array is incorporated into the design. The panels are located on the south-facing roof above the main electrical room. A steel frame that is sloped to maximize the electricity production supports the panels. A solar water heating system is located adjacent to the photovoltaic system on the roof. These panels utilize the sun’s rays to preheat water used for food preparation and dishwashing, two of the heaviest uses of hot water in an elementary school. A rainwater collection and reuse system has been designed for the school. The rainwater is collected off the metal roof and aluminum walkway canopies through typical gutters and downspouts and collected in a system of underground pipes leading to five 10,000-gallon underground storage tanks. These tanks are located in strategic places to reduce the amount of piping and to facilitate reuse. A portion of the water is pumped back into the building, filtered, chlorinated, pumped through specially-labeled piping and is used to flush toilets and urinals throughout the school. The remainder of the water is used for irrigation in the front landscape islands.
Mel and Zora Rashkis Mel and Zora Rashkis Elementary School, located in Chapel Hill's Meadowmont development, continues the evolution of high performance schools for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools begun at Smith Middle School.
The
lighting control system is designed to work in concert with the natural
daylighting system. A light
sensor located below the baffles reads the level of light available from the
sunshine every five seconds and relays this information to the lighting
controls located near the door to the room.
The lighting controls then turn on only those lights that are necessary
to reach a preprogrammed lighting level.
The room is zoned into three zones, and all the lighting fixtures are
provided with dimmable ballasts so only that light that is needed actually
comes on.
|
