A photovoltaic (PV) array lends the front entrance of Fossil Ridge High School its signature appearance, produces electricity, and shades the front hallways from excessive direct sunlight.

Fossil Ridge High School

Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins is the winner of the 2005 Colorado Renewable Energy in Buildings Award in the category for institutional buildings.
 

	Unique design features
	Low energy consumption
	Construction practices reduce environmental impact
	The award-winning team

Fossil Ridge is the first high school in Colorado to certify with the U.S. Green Buildings Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). At the time of this award in June 2005, it became the fifth LEED-certified building in Fort Collins.

The high school was completed August 2004 and contains 296,375 square feet (sf) of floor area. It cost $135/sf to build. Approximately 1,800 students and staff members attend and work there. The school obtains 100% of its electricity from wind energy from the Platte River Power Authority’s green pricing program, Wind Power.

These articulated windows and exterior window coverings allow maximum daylight into the building while minimizing the amount of direct sunlight.

Unique Design Features

Fossil Ridge High School is attractive both inside and out, and includes a number of design features intended to minimize energy bills and at the same time maximize comfort conducive to a learning environment. The plan layout is oriented east to west for good solar exposure and maximum control of direct sunlight. Control is important because allowing direct sunlight into occupied spaces can cause glare that distracts students who are trying to study and can overheat south and west-facing rooms in the summer.

At the front entrance, a solar photovoltaic (PV) power system rated at 5.2 kilowatts (kW) greets arrivals at the front entrance and gives the entire school a modern, “high-tech” look. The PV array produces power at the same time it shades the front windows, which controls the direct solar gain to reduce overheating.

Most of the lighting for classrooms is natural, and operable windows allow fresh air inside without disrupting the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC).

Low Energy Consumption

Annual estimated energy costs are $0.42/sf, which results in savings of $70,000 in utility bills from a similar high school built to the standards of local code. One of the most important reasons the design team was able to achieve these impressive savings was they incorporated energy modeling from the beginning of the design process. After it was built, the Poudre School District established a commissioning plan with third-party that was not part of the construction team to verify correct startup of energy consuming equipment and monitor ongoing performance.

Perhaps the largest single energy saver is daylighting. Allowing natural light to enter into the interior spaces makes them more comfortable and reduces the need for artificial lighting. Fossil Ridge obtains 60% of its lighting levels from natural daylight. Studies have shown that students, and adults as well, are better able to concentrate when working in areas lit with natural lighting than with artificial lighting.

The light fixtures throughout the school are high-efficiency and are controlled by light and occupancy sensors. The fixtures in the classrooms also have dimmable ballasts that allow the occupants to further reduce artificial lighting when it is not needed.

Classrooms have operable windows, which allows natural ventilation. The windows are connected to the HVAC controls so that heating and cooling are turned off when the windows are open. The building envelope is tight and well insulated, and the HVAC equipment is high efficiency. There is an ice-storage system that shifts cooling loads to off-peak hours in the evening and nighttime when electricity is cheaper.

The interior spaces such as the Media Center are spacious and attractive.

Construction Practices Reduce
Environmental Impact

The Poudre School District did everything it could to reduce environmental impact of this construction project. For example, 17% of all materials used in the school contain a high recycled content, and more than half of all building materials are manufactured locally. The district took advantage of innovative ideas such capturing storm water in bioswales and holding it in an adjacent pond for irrigating school grounds. And the district preserved an historic 1930s farm building on the site, which will now be used for storing maintenance equipment.

The construction team recycled more than 70% of the building debris. This included grinding up the wasted pieces of gypsum board for use in landscaping.

To improve indoor air quality for students and faculty, the team used paints, finishes, and carpets that emit with low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are known to degrade indoor air quality. Finally, the team also flushed the building with fresh air for two weeks after construction was complete and before it was occupied in order to rid the building of pollutants from construction.

The Award Winning Team

The winning design team is led by RB+B Architects in Fort Collins. Others named on the award include:

• The Poudre School District in Fort Collins
• BHA Landscape Architects
• MKK Engineering, Inc. in Englewood
• CEI Engineering, Inc.