Richardsville Elementary School

Richardsville Elementary School is the First Net-Zero School in the United States, a status which was achieved with a high-performance building envelope from Nudura® Insulated Concrete Forms and numerous other elements of sustainable design. Other key energy-saving elements of the project include solar panels, active daylighting, geothermal HVAC with CO2 monitoring, sunshade devices, motion sensors, and an efficient operation and maintenance plan. 

The school was designed to use only 18 kBtu/sq. ft. - annually 75% less than the ASHRAE 90.1 design standard for elementary schools.

The school also utilized ICFs for soundproofing in the gymnasium, cafeteria, music media center and between classrooms. Nudura forms allowed the building to be constructed quickly during winter and other inclement weather to stay on schedule.