Wadena-Deer Creek High School

After severe weather flattened Wadena-Deer Creek High School in 2010, the district approved plans for a new energy efficient building, creating an optimal learning environment.

Location

Wadena, MN

Industry

Education

Square Footage

168,000

Services Provided

Controls Design, Electrical Engineering, Fire Protection, Integrated Energy Modeling, Mechanical Engineering

Challenge

When a tornado leveled the Wadena-Deer Creek High School in 2010, immediate action was required, and it was quickly decided that a new high school should be constructed instead of trying to rebuild the old school. The new school currently houses students in grades 5-12, making it a combination middle school and high school. The new school was designed to be a high-performance educational facility that provides a better learning environment while improving energy efficiency and lowering operational costs.

Approach

Energy modeling laid out a comparison between two different options for the mechanical systems, both of which leveraged sustainable technology. The options were presented to the project team, showing the payback periods for each system. A 275-ton vertical loop geothermal heat pump system was selected as the primary HVAC system for the school and was incorporated into the mechanical and electrical design. Fire protection piping and head layout were also included in the construction documents provided to the project team.