The Jones County (N.C.) school district has dedicated a new 125,000-square-foot campus in Trenton that will bring together elementary, middle and high school students in a building that will generate more energy than it uses.
The Jones County PK-12 School is designed to be a net-positive energy facility—developers project that it will generate 75% more energy than it consumes.
Among its sustainable design elements are a geothermal heating and cooling system, LED lighting, high-performance glass, ample amounts of daylight, and more than 100,000 square feet of solar panels, according to SfL+a Architects, part of the design team.
The school has media spaces that open from the classrooms to creare a student-centered learning environment. A Career Technical Education department with a strong focus on agriculture and fostering the ability for career readiness is also featured in the facility.
The cafeteria is designed to serve students food court style and the space will be a new hub for community gatherings.
The school itself will be a learning tool; an internal dashboard shows how the building's systems are performing. The interior of the school is lined with glass walls to create more visibility and a sense of openness.
Among those attending the school dedication were North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and State School Superintendent Mark Johnson.
In addition to SfL+a, the design teams consists of Firstfloor Energy Positive and Metcon Construction.
