P.S. 62 The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability

AKF was part of the competition-winning team selected to design P.S. 62, a new school to serve 440 pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students on Staten Island. This groundbreaking school became the first net zero energy school in New York City, harvesting as much energy from renewable on-site sources as it uses on an annual basis. Through interactive energy dashboards and sustainability-centric curriculum, the school serves as a teaching tool for students and staff to become thoughtful stewards of the environment.

To achieve strict project goals, AKF worked with the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) and SOM Architects. The primary renewable energy system is a roof-mounted photovoltaic array comprised of 2,023 panels. The building incorporates many additional sustainable and low-energy features to reduce the amount of energy required on an annual basis. The primary HVAC system is a geo-exchange system serving water-to-water heat pumps. All outside air is pre-treated with energy recovery ventilators and demand control ventilation is used to further reduce energy use. The building orientation has been optimized for daylight with all classrooms facing north or south.

Through a series of workshops with key user stakeholder groups, AKF provided context for energy use in buildings, educated users on what it means to occupy a net zero energy building, and explored with users how they can deliver the educational mission of the school. To assist occupants with operating the building with as little energy as possible, AKF provided technical content for a user manual written for both student and adult users to encourage active user participation.