| Clearview
Elementary School
Hanover, Pennsylvania
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Clearview School Gets an A+ with Concrete
Insulating concrete forms build high-performance, sustainable
facility
 At
first glance, Clearview Elementary School in Hanover, Pennsylvania, might
seem pretty typical. There are students, teachers, classrooms, and corridors.
But this is no ordinary school. Built with concrete, it’s
designed to consume one-third less energy than a conventional structure,
providing substantial cost savings that can
be redirected for educational purposes. Open to students in January 2003,
the school is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold
certified.
Clearview Elementary was built with insulating concrete forms (ICFs).
Made from insulation and stacked in the shape of the structure, ICFs are
filled with reinforced concrete to create a solid wall with excellent
thermal mass and structural strength. ICF structures offer
energy efficiency, durability, and design flexibility at a competitive
cost with traditional construction techniques.
Beyond the structural system, the school is designed with features that
enhance the learning experience, incorporating daylight and improved ventilation,
as well as super-efficient ground source heat pumps and radiant floor
heating.
“We set out for Clearview to be a place where students thrive and
parents and taxpayers get the most for their money, both up front and
over the life of the building,” says John Boecker, a LEED-accredited
architect with L. Robert Kimball & Associates, who acted as lead architect
on the project. Boecker says ICFs were “a powerful component
for garnering these results.”
An innovative concrete mix design was crucial in achieving LEED Gold certification,
according to Scot Horst, project consultant and principal of 7group. The
concrete mixes incorporated a high slag cement content, in the ICFs. Horst
pushed for creation of an Innovation Credit to assist in LEED certification,
paving the way for other project designers to earn points toward certification
for innovative use of slag cement in concrete mixes.
On the Clearview project, approximately 40% of the building material was
manufactured locally, and about 75% (by cost) was manufactured with a
high recycled content. In all, these benefits, partnered with the
energy efficiency and durability of the concrete structure, will save
the school an estimated $34,000 annually on energy costs. This
is a tangible value no parent can argue with, says Dana Yealy, Clearview
PTO president: “It’s encouraging to know that the money saved
on utilities can go towards other important uses.”
Photo Courtesy: Jim Schafer Location Photography |
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Owner:
Hanover, Pennsylvania
School District
Architect and Engineer:
L. Robert Kimball
& Associates
Ready-Mixed Concrete Producer:
HanoverConcrete
Insulating Concrete
Form Supplier:
Eco-Block |
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