Colonel Smith Middle School

Bethany School

Fort Huachuca, AZ

The new Colonel Smith Middle School is the first Net-Zero school in the state of Arizona.

Innovative daylighting strategies and super-efficient building systems—combined with the installation of a solar panel array— allow the 88,693-square-foot facility to produce as much energy as it consumes.

The building’s Net Zero strategies combine with a progressive STEM curriculum to help students learn in a project-based environment. One to one technology allows learning to happen anywhere, and wind turbines, words imprinted on the sidewalks, outdoor classrooms, landscaping and sustainable design elements turn the entire campus into a classroom.

Associate firm: Emc2 Architects

ABOVE | Wind turbines serve as demonstration elements, allowing students to learn about renewable energy.

CLIENT

Fort Huachuca

Accommodation School

District

SCOPE

88,693 New SF

COST

$20.0 M

RELEVANT INFORMATION

• Arizona’s first Net-Zero K-12 school

• Sustainable strategies support the school’s STEM curriculum and focus on project-based learning

Highlights of the project’s Net-Zero design strategies include:

• Electrical distribution with discrete metering of lighting, HVAC and plug loads

• High-efficiency LED and electric lighting systems with state-ofthe-art digital lighting controls

• Super-efficient light sources such as T5 fluorescent lamps and LED lighting systems using continuously dimmable drivers.

• Mechanical systems including packaged rooftop, variable air volume (VAV) air handlers in each building pod

• Hot water heating supplied by 95% efficient natural gas boilers

• Solar panels providing domestic water heating for the locker rooms and kitchen

• Wind turbines, which are used as demonstration elements and produce one to three percent of the building’s total energy

• Rainwater harvesting from roof tops and from the artificialsurface athletic field, supported by a pair of 25,000-gallon water harvesting tanks

As part of the school’s sustainable curriculum, students monitor the building’s real time energy usage and production from an energy dashboard located in the Student Union. The dashboard displays energy use throughout the building, energy produced by solar and wind components, and water harvesting collection and usage. Students are also able to monitor dashboard information individually from an app on their mobile devices. The information found on the dashboard is a major source of student projects.