Learn about the design behind Locust Trace AgriScience High School, an innovative campus on the outskirts of Lexington, Ky., that is designed to educate students for careers in equine and agriculture sciences. At Locust Trace, students learn about the ancient idea of living off the land alongside new technologies, giving them the best of both worlds in the 21st century. After several design charrettes, the design team determined an optimum HVAC system that took into account the school’s location, mission and net zero energy goals. Rather than a traditional variable refrigerant flow system, a geothermal HVAC system was selected. In warmer months, air movement from high volume, low speed fans offset expanded temperature ranges in the classroom building, and act as a first stage of cooling in the unconditioned riding area. In the winter, air is first heated by 168 evacuated tube panels that produce an average of 40,000 Btu per day, and the HVLS fans are used to destratify this air to ensure the space is fully mixed. With an average annual energy cost of $0.35/ft2, the net zero facility also includes other innovative technologies, including clerestory windows, solar tube illumination supplemented with T5 fluorescent lighting, and permeable paving systems.

Presented by various experts on behalf of Big Ass Solutions.