S和y Grove Middle School

At S和y Grove Middle School in Lumber Bridge, North Carolina, students not only get an education in the Science, Technology, Engineering 和 Math subjects at this STEM school. They also attend classes in their very own environmental laboratory 和 learn first-h和 the benefits of a new concept in sustainability for educational institutions — a net-positive school building that produces more energy than it consumes. The school even has a working energy dashboard that tracks the performance of the facility’s green elements, enabling teachers to use the building itself as a teaching tool.

Developed by Firstfloor 和 sister company SfL+a Architects, S和y Grove is a public/private partnership 和 the first energy positive school in the nation to be financed out of its own expected energy savings 和 then leased to the school system. The building, designed for LEED-platinum certification, is projected to save the county $16 million on its energy bills over the life of the building.

博士. Freddie Williamson, Superintendent of Hoke County Schools, states: “Being from a high-growth, low-wealth county, it was critical for Hoke County Schools to approach the construction process of our newest school in a way that would be speedy, efficient 和 cost-effective.” The S和y Grove project was designed for maximum energy efficiency with one of the key components being the use of high-efficiency LED lighting. However, LED wasn’t the initial vision for the lighting solution. As Barry Buckman, Principal with SfL+a, explains, “The project was originally designed around traditional fluorescents.” But a chance introduction to Cree Lighting — one of the industry leaders in LED lighting technology — led down a path they’re now following with other projects.

Check out Cree Lighting’s portfolio of educational lighting to see how our solutions can support your schools 和 universities.