Sustainable buildings are the need of the future and various designers around the world have been coming up with various such innovative designs replicating sustainability. Such an example is this Net Zero Energy (NZE), a prototype of high performance school, which is also a winning entry of the Los Angeles Unified School District Competition and planned by the District to be built throughout Los Angeles on several campuses for various purposes.
The NZE Prototype is flexible design with high performance, which sustains variety of uses and spaces and can adapt to changes in size, technology, operations, program and pedagogy of the future. The building comprising readymade kit of parts assembled out of components manufactured previously offsite is designed for various uses like multipurpose hall, charter schools and small learning center in both district owned constricted urban sites and existing campuses. In this two story 30,000SF prototype, classrooms for up to five hundred students can be accommodated and customized as per the site conditions as it is capable of changing size as per the requirements of the program making easy for it to blend in its surrounding environment. It’s just not some single building solution, but in fact it’s a strategy set as a solution for numerous needs of most varied K 12 systems in the US.
For the flexibility of the prototype four working systems are comprised that include firstly, an exoskeleton, a fixed, consistent exterior building frame system comprising, elevator, stairs, firewall, plumbing and electrical. Secondly, are the variable windows, doors that enable various combinations and options in the buildings exteriors and facades design although the roof monitors, clerestory windows etc. are consistent throughout. Thirdly, in order to accommodate various requirements of space and uses are the variable de mountable, non structural interior partition walls and mezzanine configuration. Last one is the climate system for the maintenance of high natural ventilation, day lighting and energy efficiency. For this, solar absorption tubes, PV panels, panellized solar skin etc. are been used and can be too customized as per different site conditions and solar orientations.
Via: Cargocollective