Overdale Elementary School

K. Norman Berry Associates Architects (KNBA) and CMTA Engineers strove to meet Bullitt County Public School's goal of designing a high quality learning environment and the most efficient systems to achieve long-term energy and cost savings. The result is the design of Overdale Elementary School, which the Bullitt County Board of Education is using to demonstrate its commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability, and stewardship of county resources.

The ENERGY STAR program provided the project team with a way to help implement design strategies, which were shared with Bullitt County Public School during the design process. The project received a rating of 90 (out of 100) in EPA's Target Finder for estimated design energy use. KNBA also plans to work with the school to use EPA's Portfolio Manager to rate the actual energy performance of the building after it has been occupied for one year.

High-performance design elements for the school include a north-south orientation that maximizes passive heating and shading; light shelves for daylighting in south-facing spaces; large-windowed areas for daylighting in north-facing spaces; a geothermal HVAC system with distributive pumping; R-30 roof insulation with standing seam metal roof panels; dedicated outdoor air systems with energy recovery technology; high-efficiency water heaters; and efficient T-8 and T-5 lighting systems.