Construction students prepare bids for off-the-grid school

Students in a construction science class capstone class at Texas A&M are preparing bids for an off-the-electricity-grid high school concept based on an actual construction project in the Metroplex.

The class traveled to Addison, a suburb just north of Dallas, July 15 for a site tour of the city’s new high school provided by the construction contractor Satterfield & Pontikes.

Site superintendent Lee Milligan and project manager Casey D. Matthews showed the students excavations that are part of the school’s ground source heat pump system that uses air from moderate temperatures underground to cool and heat the campus. The system provides a significantly more efficient heating and cooling technique than converting the hot summer or cold winter air to room temperature.

The student’s project, undertaken as part of a commercial capstone course directed by José Fernandez-Solís, assistant professor of construction science, included additional “green” building components, such as expanding the heat pump system, adding photovoltaic panels and wind turbines to generate the school buildings’ power.

“Four ‘companies’ comprised of student teams are working on a request for proposals for a building that will use as little energy as possible from the grid system,” said Fernandez-Solís. “Ideally, it would be a self-sufficient and self-sustaining building.”

Parts of the building will also be used as community center space after school hours and on the weekends.

“This requires that the building be fabricated and built in such a way to emphasize versatility and durability, which the students’ proposals will need to reflect,” he said.

The students will present their proposals on the class’ final day before a jury of construction and architecture professionals.

During their Dallas trip, students also learned about Satterfield & Pontikes’ building information modeling efforts at the high school from Kevin Thompson, Satterfield and Pontikes’ BIM manager for the project.