Charter Builders Breaks Ground on the Largest Zero Energy Public School in the United States

DALLAS, Texas — Charter Builders and Irving Independent School District recently celebrated the official groundbreaking for the largest “net zero” public school in the United States. The first of its kind in Texas, the school district’s Lady Bird Johnson Middle School is designed to produce as much energy as it uses, thereby reducing operating costs for the district and shrinking the school’s carbon footprint.

To reduce energy consumption, the school is designed to meet LEED Gold specifications and will feature increased insulation, high-efficiency glazing, daylighting, and an Energy Star kitchen. The school will also use permeable paving to reduce runoff and harvest rainwater and grey water for irrigation.

Charter Builders was awarded the $29 million contract to manage construction of the new school, located in Irving, Texas. The 150,000-square-foot facility will produce its own energy via solar panels, geothermal energy harvesting, and wind turbines. If the school produces excess energy, the district could sell energy to a local electric provider, creating a potential revenue source for the district.

Said Scott Layne, the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, “Net-zero buildings help reverse negative trends associated with climate change. Irving’s new middle school will consume approximately half the energy that a typical middle school building consumes.”

Scheduled to open to students in August 2011, the building will serve as a three-dimensional learning space, teaching students environmental responsibility through practical, hands-on experiences with geothermal science, rainwater collection, solar panel usage, and wind turbine efficiency.

“We’re proud to be a part of this project,” said Charles E. DeVoe, III, President of Charter Builders. “We have worked with Irving ISD for seven years, and we’re thrilled to partner with them as we pioneer ways to build better, more environmentally responsible schools in Texas.”

In addition to Charter Builders, planners who helped the school district develop the concept for the new school included architect Corgan Associates, Inc. and consultant IEG Engineers.