Durham's new Oyster River Middle School opened its doors to students and teachers in February and is now celebrating its spot as an example of sustainable school building design.
Significant features of the school include a geothermal system contributing to onsite renewable energy, enhanced wall and roof insulation, a solar hot water system to preheat domestic hot water, LED lighting controls with day lighting and occupant sensors, 35% water use reduction, light pollution reduction, surrounding density and diversity used, reduced parking footprint, increased open space, compact building footprint and vertical program organization resulting in 23% more spatial efficiency, and 1,450 solar panels installed on both the school building’s roof and bus port. The school’s solar installation is estimated to generate 697,000 kWh annually, offsetting 683,757 pounds of carbon every year.
“Oyster River Middle School is a state-of-the-art facility that uses sustainable resources to heat and cool the building, dramatically reducing dependence of fossil fuel, which will save the taxpayers of district millions of dollars in utility costs over the next 25 years,” said Oyster River School District Superintendent Jim Morse.
“Based on energy modelling performed to date, the Oyster River Middle School is tracking to be one of the largest net-positive energy school buildings in New England, with the installed renewable energy capacity allocated away from the project as Renewable Energy Credits,” said Stephen M. Laput, project manager at Lavallee Brensinger Architects who designed the building.
“Oyster River Middle School is a model for what integrated sustainability looks like in public schools. From their climate education in classrooms to the choices they’ve made in building the new facility, ORMS is prioritizing a healthy planet for the future of their students alongside a dedication to financial responsibility,” said Dan Clapp, co-founder of ReVision Energy.
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