Title: NeoCity Academy
Location of Proejct: Kissimmee, FL
Project Completion Date: July 2019
Firm Name: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

Short Description: This new, public, 500 student, Net-Zero Energy STEM High School is located on the NeoCity Campus in Osceola County, FL. This new urbanist development is at the epicenter of a boom in the high-tech, advanced manufacturing industry that central Florida is currently experiencing. The design team was given a mandate to design the new, public high school within the state-mandated budget and space requirements. The facility is designed to use 76% less energy than a typical public school in Osceola County. The Immersive LearningScape design creates a flexible and engaging 21st-century learning environment.

Architect's Statement: NeoCity Academy, a STEM magnet high school in Osceola County, FL, is the first net-zero school in the state. The three-story, 44,820-square-foot facility is a product of high-performance building design and ultra-low energy use, allowing for the ability to consume 76% less energy than a conventionally constructed school of a comparable size. The innovative project was also intentionally designed as a truly transformative, immersive learning experience for the 500 students following the school’s high-tech curriculum, providing an optimized environment that’s specifically developed for effective, interdisciplinary 21st century learning. It’s a true testament of integration of innovation, beauty and function in balance.

With Central Florida’s recent boom in the high-tech advanced manufacturing industry, coupled with the state’s easement of solar energy production, the need emerged for new facilities that would educate and train the workforce of tomorrow, positively impacting the equitable community. (the school, a magnet program, draws students from the full district based only on grades and letters of interest, attracting students from all demographics and economic backgrounds)

As a Net-Zero facility, NeoCity Academy eliminates the use of fossil fueled energy and associated greenhouse gas emissions, not only doing less harm, but ultimately benefitting the ecosystem. The landscape design utilizes a pallet of local flora that thrive in the ecological conditions present on site. This helps reduce the need for additional irrigation and increases the natural habitat for pollinators and other local fauna.

Our landscape design included an all Florida-native landscape that requires minimum water. In addition to energy savings the mechanical system also saves on building water use. Condensation that is removed from the interior air at each heat pump is recycled back to the fluid cooler as make up water significantly reducing the water use of the system, reducing water utility costs. The condensate recycling system has a return on investment of less than three years.

From an economy standpoint, the School District of Osceola County felt that the cost of net-zero design and construction was a “no brainer” for the when considering the savings in energy costs that, theoretically, could be diverted to more deserving causes, like increasing teacher salaries, at a time when school districts are struggling to control their operating costs. The Life Cycle Costs save the school system $3.2 million over 20 years versus that of a typical building. The school saves $115,000/year in energy costs.

The power of design lies in providing clients with transformative ideas that create a better future. We approached this project by looking at ALL aspects of making this school a High Performing, healthy learning environment. We reduced the EUI by 72%. We reduced Air Infiltration by 80%. We provided a 202 KW Solar Photovoltaic array, a 7-year payback investment, to make the project reach Zero-ENERGY. NeoCity Academy also features super tight building skin with an air leakage rate of .15 cfm. All of the lighting in the school is LED which use at least 75% less energy.

The planning of the School encourages well-being of students and teachers by providing massive amounts of daylighting, encouraging views to the exterior landscape providing respite from stress and supporting attention restoration, encouraging movement between levels through ample stairwells, by connecting levels visually and enhancing space perception, by addressing acoustics with materiality, using color to create a happier and less institutional environment, and create a healthy indoor environment through the choice of local interior resources and materials and effective HVAC. Indoor materials such as flooring, paint, and ceiling finishes contain no VOC’s and require lower maintenance than typical school systems. These materials are also biophilic meaning they are made of natural materials or have colors and textures found in nature.

Given the high probability of Hurricane events, Resiliency for change and the elements became a key design driver. Resilient strategies for the project included: Elevating the building to manage floods, tilt-up concrete construction, utilizing commonly used local materials, thermal properties and hurricane-resisting construction, abundant daylighting to minimize the need of relying on the grid, Natural ventilation allowing building occupancy if mechanical systems are down, and a 202 KW Solar PV Array to maintain the building operational and off-the-grid as long as necessary.

They also had a vision of using the school’s own sustainability systems as a teaching and discovery tool for the STEM-focused students, while simultaneously serving as an example for the community. A live dashboard serves to show students the real-time energy use of the building and tools to reduce energy usage.