SYRACUSE, NEW YORK — The Liverpool Central School District and the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District recently broke ground on capital improvement projects that include ambitious sustainability features. These include media center additions that are expected to operate as net-zero energy buildings – on an annual basis they will create as much energy as they consume.

Peter Larson aia, leed ap, Principal of the Advanced Building Studio at Ashley McGraw Architects, explains how these buildings “capture, conserve and create” energy: “We’re capturing free energy from the sun in a number of ways. For instance, we’re installing trombe walls, which absorb the sun’s heat and reduce the need for artificial heating. At the same time, we conserve energy with a draft-tight building skin and well-designed insulation. These steps already reduce the building’s energy usage by about fifty to seventy percent. Then the remaining energy usage is offset by creating energy with on-site photovoltaic arrays.”

Larson’s Advanced Building Studio uses daylight and energy modeling software to predict how each design choice will affect the building’s energy consumption. The Advanced Building Studio and Ashley McGraw’s K-12 Studio then collaborate on the design of the building, using the performance data to inform design decisions like the building’s orientation, window placement, ceiling height, and more. “The building becomes a teaching tool, helping students understand concepts like resources and energy,” says Nicholas Signorelli aia, leed ap, ncarb, Principal of Ashley McGraw’s K-12 Studio. ”And of course, natural light and thermal comfort improve the indoor environment for both students and staff.”

Both the Liverpool and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown net-zero energy media centers are scheduled for completion in 2011, and both districts’ full renovation projects are registered for LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

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ATTACHMENTS: Renderings of the two net-zero energy media centers, by Ashley McGraw Architects, P.C.

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Ashley McGraw Architects, P.C, based in Syracuse, New York since 1981, designs school and college and university buildings. Ashley McGraw is proud to work within the framework of the 2030 Challenge: to immediately design buildings that use 50% less energy, and buildings that operate with zero fossil fuel consumption by the year 2030. www.AshleyMcGraw.com

The Liverpool Central School District is located in the Liverpool suburb of Syracuse, New York. http://www.liverpool.k12.ny.us/

 The Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District is located in the town of Parish, New York, 30 miles north of Syracuse and 20 miles east of Oswego. http://www.apw.cnyric.org/

The U.S. Green Building Council is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization. Their internationally-recognized LEED certification system is a third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving sustainable performance across several metrics. http://www.usgbc.org/