Bel Pre Elementary School
Montgomery County Public Schools: Aspen Hill, MD
This 98,000-SF, $23.8 million replacement school was constructed on the existing school site to accommodate a growing population of pre-K through second grade students. Only 6,000-SF of gymnasium space from the original school was retained and connected to the new building. JPA designed a ground-source geothermal heating and cooling system for the replacement school based upon the results of a life-cycle cost analysis performed during the early stages of design. Mechanical systems consisted primarily of vertical two-stage heat pump units for the classroom areas and a water-cooled variable refrigerant flow system for the administration areas. Ventilation for both the classroom and administration areas was provided by a series of dedicated outdoor air systems, complete with enthalpy wheel energy recovery devices for pre-conditioning and dehumidifying ventilation airflow.
Energy modeling was performed by JPA throughout all phases of design for enhancing and optimizing the project’s overall sustainability. Additional design elements including passive solar shading, an enhanced thermal envelope, daylight harvesting, and additional lighting control components also contributed to the LEED Gold certification achieved by the project.
Architect: Grimm + Parker Architects
Project Photography: ©Jeffrey Sauers Photography