Scotts Ridge Middle School Ridgefield, CT Mechanical and Electrical Engineers Completion Date: 2003 Architects: Antinozzi Associates

Academic Building: The new 86,000 square foot academic building is fully air conditioned, and provided with perimeter heating, for maximum occupant comfort. The air handling system is a series of central air handlers, resulting in a minimum of noise introduced into the classrooms. Each classroom is fully interconnected to the remainder of the building, and to the world wide web (WWW), through multiple IT connections in each room. Overhead projectors are located in each classroom, for integrated audio/visual presentations. Occupancy sensors control lighting in classrooms, a feature supported by the design team’s inclusion of utility company incentive programs. While covering nearly the entire cost of the occupancy sensor, the incentive saves the school district money on an annual basis. Commons Building: The new 54,000 square foot Commons Building contains the administrative offices, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, the Media Center, and the Auditorium. As many of the spaces have no ceilings, careful integration of the ductwork and the structure was undertaken to develop a sympathetic pattern of ducts and diffusers. This is especially evident in the hallway outside the administrative spaces, where oversized sections of ductwork were used to route other services across a ceilingless corridor with clerestory windows. This treatment, along with similar sized ducts that carried air back and forth, allows a uniform, organized appearance to the corridor. The auditorium, with seating for 337 people, has a full stage, theatrical lighting and full air conditioning. The air outlets are integrated into the acoustic "clouds" in the ceiling, for maximum concealment of the air handling system. The cafeteria has a full service kitchen, with the ability to seat 240 students simultaneously. The north facing window wall has a continuous perimeter heating system, to provide comfortable seating in winter along the windows. Site: The on site parking is provided with a lighting system that permits safe lighting levels, with careful attention to eliminating light spillage onto adjacent properties. Coordination with the civil engineer resulted in an on-site domestic water system, on-site sanitary disposal, and on-site storm water retention. The building site therefore retains a large degree of self-sufficiency.