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Front Page » Education » Zero energy schools due in Brickell, South Dade

Zero energy schools due in Brickell, South Dade

Written by on May 31, 2022
  • www.miamitodayepaper.com
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Zero energy schools due in Brickell, South Dade

Schools that are net zero energy ready are coming to Miami-Dade as local firm Zyscovich Architects has designed two middle schools in the county that would use technologies to lower energy consumption and costs.

Zero energy schools are “extremely energy-efficient buildings that produce as much energy as it uses over the course of a year,” a document from the US Department of Energy details. Net zero energy ready schools are designed and built so that on-site renewable energy can be installed later on with minimal disruption.

These buildings can cost 5% to 13% more than conventional schools, but in the long term savings could help cover other operational costs of equal importance. For instance, by annually saving on energy, school officials could redirect those operating costs to fund teacher salaries, a priority for state and local authorities.

“Many US school districts struggle for funding and improving a school building’s energy efficiency can free up operational funds that may then be available for educational and other purposes,” says the department’s document.

The schools being built in the county, Brickell Area Middle School and Ammons Middle School in South Dade, broke ground recently and are expected to be open by August 2023. The schools have costs of $26.3 million and $29.99 million.

“Many districts have been interested in utilizing net zero energy schools, net zero energy ready schools, to help shift some of the funding to more pressing needs such as teacher salaries,” said Jose Murgido, vice president in charge of Architectural Services for Zyscovich Architects.

They both use net zero ready technology such as high-performance membranes around all windows and the masonry walls to keep as much refrigerated air inside as possible and reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the building.

“It’s almost like building your building like a balloon, so none of the refrigerated air leaves or very little bit leaves, and [in] that way you don’t need to produce more refrigerated air; air conditioning is a huge cost in operating schools,” Mr. Murgido said.

Another technology component is desiccant wheels, “which create cleaner air and also reduces the amount of air that you need to bring in to refrigerate,” he continued.

The Brickell school has another innovative component, which is the inclusion of teacher housing, with 10 units available. “This is an attempt to make affordable workforce housing in the downtown area and integrated into this new seven-story middle school,” Mr. Murgido said.

“It’s got apartments, it’s net zero ready and it’s also one of the first 21st century schools, which means that the way that kids learn in it is a lot of project-based learning, hands-on learning,” he added.

Other features recommended by the Department of Energy include the building orientation to ensure exposure to daylight, engineering the roof so it can support the weight and handle the wind loading of the solar photovoltaic systems, and anticipate shading from trees and other future landscaping growth, hills, existing or future buildings.

Zyscovich already has similar projects in Central Florida, which give guidance on how to design and build the Miami-Dade projects. One of them, the Canoe Creek Academy in the Osceola County School District, won an award of merit from the Florida Educational Facilities Planners’ Association recognizing the net-zero design and the 21st century learning method.

The school had a five-year payback on its investment and cost 13% more than a conventional school, since it already had the solar panels installed. In other buildings, without the panels, the cost was 5% to 8% more.

“Our schools are generating savings of $125,000 a year, which is the equivalency of maybe two to three teachers; you save enough money conceivably to be able to hire two additional teachers, so that’s the equation that you know many of the school districts are looking at,” Mr. Murgido said.

Back in April 2021, Miami-Dade became the first Southern school district to commit to switching to “clean energy” entirely by 2030 by adopting a resolution with the promise.

School board member Luisa Santos said at the meeting that cutting down the district’s energy production by 30% produces $20 million in annual savings that could fund 420 staff positions at a starting teacher salary, or 50,000 devices at $400 per device, the Miami Herald reported.

The resolution also created a task force that delivered a report with recommendations to reach the goal, including accelerating LED light bulb conversion to be completed by 2030, replacing 999 diesel buses with quiet, clean electric school buses, and using public/private partnerships to gain access to new technologies through pilot programs and experimental projects.

  • www.miamitodayepaper.com
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