(Day) Lighting the net-zero energy classroom building

Solatube 

Solatube Daylighting Systems helped the Lenawee Intermediate School District to create a net-zero energy classroom building, completed in June 2013.

The Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD) has installed numerous Solatube Daylighting Systems made by Solatube International, Inc., the worldwide leading manufacturer and marketer of Tubular Daylighting Devices (TDDs), in its groundbreaking Center for a Sustainable Future (CSF) in Adrian, Mich. The CSF features 21 Solatube 750DS-C units and five 750DS-O units, which were designed for school and commercial applications.

The Solatube Daylighting Systems were installed in the new 8,600-square-foot, state-of-the-art, net-zero energy classroom building, which was completed in June 2013 and targeting LEED Platinum certification. The facility is designed to produce as much energy as it uses, a first for a K-12 building in Michigan. The state-of-the-art educational campus embodies environmental sustainability and offers hands-on learning experiences in agri-science, biology, alternative energy, and strategies to reduce reliance on non-renewable resources. The team responsible for this innovative design was a combination of SHW Group, The Collaborative, Inc. and CMTA Engineers. Architectural Building Products, a Solatube Commercial Distributor for Michigan, provided the Solatube units.

“The use of Solatube Daylighting Systems is an integral part of our energy management system providing natural light which is very conducive to the learning environment,” says Jim Philp, Lenawee Intermediate School District superintendent. “Solatube products are a cost-efficient solution to provide lighting to classroom and office space. The district is currently looking into using Solatube Daylighting Systems in existing buildings, as well.”

Solatube Daylighting Systems are available through factory trained Solatube Commercial Distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.solatube.com/commercial.

solatube.com/commercial

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management October 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).