LEED Gold for Brookside Middle and High School
Apr 04, 2017
Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools’ new Brookside Middle School and High School has earned LEED Gold. The new school, completed in 2015, includes classrooms, music rooms, a video studio, and gyms for both the high school and middle school students.
KE services: Mechanical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection Design
LEED version: LEED for Schools v2009
Building size: 148,600 SF
Project cost: $31 million
Energy savings: Estimated 38% energy savings, 40.5% utility cost savings
Why it works: The KE team designed high-efficiency HVAC systems, producing year-round energy savings. On heating, the HVAC design included energy recovery, demand-control ventilation, fan-powered boxes, and condensing boilers, providing an estimated 46% energy consumption savings. For cooling, thermal (ice) storage delivers a projected 21% energy consumption savings, as well as cost savings on electricity.
The team also incorporated low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce water use and energy use (for heating water).
Elsewhere on site, the project team reduced light pollution and provided water efficient landscaping. Enhanced commissioning verified proper system functionality, and measurement and verification services followed up on the school’s energy performance post-occupancy.
About LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that promotes sustainable building design. Through the LEED program, buildings are evaluated on measures such as energy-efficient building systems, water efficiency, sustainable site strategies, and sustainable building materials. A building can be awarded one of four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum (the highest).
Karpinski Engineering’s contributions to a building’s LEED certification typically impact its energy and water use – through efficient electrical, lighting, HVAC, and plumbing design.