Vol. 20, Issue 01 2022
Assembling a sustainable project team
A NetZero case study
A J Sustaita, AIA Sustaita has over 20 years’ experience in architecture leading design, documentation, and construction administration on a wide variety of project types including renovation, new construction, historical preservation, and sustainable design. Additionally, Sustaita contributes to the profession of architecture by serving as the president-elect of the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Recently, he was honored with the Ben Brewer Award from AIAH, which recognizes excellence in ability and contributions to architecture in Houston. Designed by the Corgan education studio, the new Fort Bend ISD Middle School #16, will become the largest net-zero school in the United States. Through solar and geothermal renewable energy solutions, the 240,657-square-foot building will produce as much energy as it consumes. The design of the building focuses on how best to serve the middle school’s future 1,600 students, through dedicated learning pods, instructional and collaborative pullout spaces, outdoor learning courtyards, and multipurpose labs to support the district’s STEM curriculum.
PR: Are there any specific certifications the district is wanting to achieve? AS: We’re going for LEED Gold as well as the LEED Net Zero certification. There are a few different levels of net zero you aim towards. We’re designing for net-zero site energy, which means that the building will produce at least as much energy as it uses in a year.
Above Aerial view of FBISD MS 16 showcasing the solar-energy solutions. Image courtesy of Corgan. Above Front entry rendering of FBISD MS 16. Image courtesy of Corgan.
Paige Russell (PR): Was the goal of achieving net zero one that Fort Bend ISD had from the onset of the project? A.J. Sustaita (AS): The FBISD school board has a member, Jim Rice, who is an MEP Engineer. He is very focused on sustainable design and responsible design for climate change. He’s been on the board for eight years now and has been really promoting LEED initiatives, especially before this current bond election. When our firm was hired, the goal was already established to deliver a netzero building. When we interviewed, having heard of this goal, we really showcased our firm’s previous net-zero project, Lady Bird Johnson Middle School [in Irving ISD], to show our experience.
PR: What are the challenges of a project with such high sustainability goals, such as net zero, that you’ve experienced with this project? AS: In the Houston area, there aren’t many buildings in the greater metro area that have achieved net zero, which means there is no precedent for us to go and tour with the client. Also, we originally proposed to use Insulated Concrete Form on this project. The big challenge is that ICF is common in the Dallas Fort-Worth area here in Texas, but not at all common in Houston, which means there isn’t a subcontractor market in Houston to perform the work. If we elected to do the ICF construction, we would have to hire crews from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In today’s market climate, we’re all concerned with escalation, cost increases, and schedule delays. The project team therefore chose to go with a different envelope assembly, the same used at Lady Bird Johnson, an insulated infill CMU assembly.
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