September 2010 marked the grand opening for Richardsville Elementary, the First Net-Zero Insulated Concrete Form School in the U.S. Warren County School district, the school board responsible for Richardsville, has been building energy efficient schools that are being recognized for their innovation across the United States. Designed by Sherman Carter Barnhart and located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Richardsville was created to be a two-story, energy efficient structure that incorporated renewable materials and NUDURA insulated concrete forms for a superior building envelope.
The design and northsouth site orientation allowed the school to maximize the use of renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, so that it can produce more energy than it consumes. It’s a popular topic when it comes to a structure’s carbon footprint, its effect on human health, and its high-energy costs. Research provides evidence that schools throughout North America are moving toward greener and healthier building solutions and the demand for energy performance has become increasingly more important.
At 72,285 sq. ft. and generating its own energy, Richardsville is the next generation of educational building standards and a valuable tool to educate students on energy and water conservation as well as the value of recycling.
The concerns associated with designing a net-zero structure are usually cost, time, and the best eco-friendly building solution available. In order to meet this list of demands the Warren County School Board decided to use NUDURA, an industry-leading manufacturer in ICF construction, to maximize the structure’s energy performance and minimize energy costs. The result was a high-performance building envelope using NUDURA forms for the interior and exterior walls.
NUDURA provides a highly insulated concrete wall made up of EPS foam connected by a web that is reinforced with steel and filled with concrete. The walls come in a variety of sizes ranging from 4” to 12” concrete cores and provide performance values as high as R-50.
The benefits of using the NUDURA wall system for this structure were its superior strength, maximum energy efficiency, eco-friendly materials, sound and fire resistance, design flexibility, speed of the construction process, and EPS foam that doesn’t support mold growth. The performance value of NUDURA forms used in structures, like Richardsville, can generate energy savings up to 70% annually. Richardsville Elementary is designed to use only 18 kBtu/sq. ft.— 75 percent less than the ASHRAE 90.1 Design Standard for elementary schools annually.
The 500 students attending the Richardsville net-zero school will enjoy a healthy, eco-friendly learning environment that sets the standard high to future generations looking to build sustainable educational institutions. Architects and builders are always looking for solid strategies that reduce energy demands, carbon footprints, and operational costs. The important thing is to have a strategy and a building product that makes the switch to “green” simple. As a key component to the overall building aspect of the Richardsville net-zero project, NUDURA has met and exceeded those highly demanded qualities and continues to help to make “green” schools a possibility for your community.
NUDURA Inc.
27 Hooper Rd, Unit 10
Barrie, ON L4N 9S3
866-468-6299
info@nudura.com
www.nudura.com
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Jul 9, 2013
5 innovations in high-rise building design
KONE's carbon-fiber hoisting technology and the Broad Group's prefab construction process are among the breakthroughs named 2013 Innovation Award winners by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jun 4, 2013
SOM research project examines viability of timber-framed skyscraper
In a report released today, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill discussed the results of the Timber Tower Research Project: an examination of whether a viable 400-ft, 42-story building could be created with timber framing. The structural type could reduce the carbon footprint of tall buildings by up to 75%.
| May 14, 2013
Paints and coatings: The latest trends in sustainability
When it comes to durability, a 50-year building design ideally should include 50-year coatings. Many building products consume substantial amounts of energy, water, and petrochemicals during manufacture, but they can make up for it in the operations phase. The same should be expected from architectural coatings.
| Apr 23, 2013
Building material innovation: Concrete cloth simplifies difficult pours
Milliken recently debuted a flexible fabric that allows for concrete installations on slopes, in water, and in other hard to reach places—without the need for molds or mixing.
| Apr 19, 2013
Must see: Shell of gutted church on stilts, 40 feet off the ground
Construction crews are going to extremes to save the ornate brick façade of the Provo (Utah) Tabernacle temple, which was ravaged by a fire in December 2010.
| Mar 29, 2013
Shenzhen projects halted as Chinese officials find substandard concrete
Construction on multiple projects in Guangdong Province—including the 660-m Ping'an Finance Center—has been halted after inspectors in Shenzhen, China, have found at least 15 local plants producing concrete with unprocessed sea sand, which undermines building stabity.
| Mar 4, 2013
Legendary structural engineer Gene Corley passes away at 77
CTLGroup, an expert engineering and materials science firm located in Skokie, Illinois, is saddened by the news that W. Gene Corley, Ph.D., S.E., P.E., Senior Vice President, died on March 1, 2013 after a brief battle with cancer.
| Feb 25, 2013
Turner employs rare 'collapsible' steel truss system at Seattle light rail station
To speed construction of the $110 million Capitol Hill Station light-rail station in Seattle, general contractor Turner Construction will use an unusual temporary framing method for the project's underground spaces.
| Feb 22, 2013
Dutch team's 'bioconcrete' can heal itself
Two researchers from Delft Technical University in Holland have developed a self-healing cement that can stop microcracks from forming in concrete.
| Jan 3, 2013
5 things you should know about decorative concrete
Designing and installing decorative concrete is a lot more difficult that you might think. A veteran of many such installations offers a handful of tips to help you plan your next decorative concrete project.
