Richardsville Elementary School is a 72,285 square foot, two-story facility that accommodates approximately 500 students in pre-school through fifth grade. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Richardsville Elementary values green teaching, a method that inspires students to protect the environment, both at school and at home. For this reason, sustainability was a major goal of this project, which is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED® Gold Certification and is the nation’s first Net Zero Energy public school. CENTRIA Wall Systems are featured on the school’s exterior.
In addition to the high performance building envelope that helps reduce energy costs, the building features a “solar hallway,” which includes solar-powered laptop charging stations, as well as a “geothermal hallway,” which allows students to see the inner-workings of the school’s geothermal climate control system. In fact, Richardsville Elementary produces more energy than it consumes, making the building a national leader in the push for energy-efficient public schools.
CENTRIA’s Profile Series IW Series and Formawall Dimension Series were selected for use on Richardsville Elementary School because they provide outstanding performance, sustainability and value, without sacrificing aesthetics.
CENTRIA’s IW Series provides a smooth, unbroken appearance to the exterior design. The IW Series was also used because of its all-weather installation capability, which can shorten installation time and permit fast-track scheduling.
Formawall Dimension Series panels make up the only wall system that provides CENTRIA’s patented advanced thermal and moisture protection technology (ATMP®) in a single panelized component. Compared to traditional multi-component wall construction—which typically requires seven separate components, including a rainscreen, an air barrier, exterior gypsum sheathing, fiberglass insulation and a vapor barrier—Formawall Dimension Series is manufactured as one component. In addition to increasing performance, this unique feature significantly reduces jobsite waste. The thermal break between the panel face and liner offered efficient R-values, which continue to keep building energy costs low.
In keeping with the project’s emphasis on sustainability, CENTRIA’s IW Series and Formawall Dimension Series are both Cradle to CradleCM Certified Silver.
The architect was Sherman Carter Barnhart of Louisville, KY; the CENTRIA products dealer/installer was South State Contractors of Bowling Green, KY; and the contractor was The R.G. Anderson Company, Inc. of Nashville, TN.
CENTRIA projects used on this project include: - Profile Series IW Series (IW-40), Horizontal. Square Feet: 6,833; Color: Surrey Beige; Finish: Embossed; Coating: Fluorofinish®; Gauge: 22.
- Formawall® Dimension Series® 2” Horizontal. Square Feet: 2,774; Color: Surrey Beige; Finish: Embossed; Coating: Fluorofinish; Gauge: 22.
LEED™ is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council.