DC Public Schools, Ballou Senior High School Modernization, Washington, DC

“Size:
322,000 SF

Highlights:
MEP Design
NetZero
LEED Gold Certified
”

Ranked 19th within District of Columbia, Ballou Senior High School offers academic and extracurricular programs that enrich the mind, body, and spirit of its students. This SHS is also known for having one of the best choirs and bands in the District.

SETTY services include MEP design and construction administration for this new, 322,000 SF Senior High School that features a large football stadium, 37 new classrooms, science laboratories, training centers, swimming pool, culinary arts, kitchen, greenhouse, performing & visual arts space, and an 8,600 SF auditorium. 

Scope also includes a feasibility study looking into the requirements for achieving net-zero energy (NZE) status. Two 3 MW Turbines cater to all the power requirements of the school. The plant is an N+1 configuration, which allows power requirements to be satisfied in the event one of the turbines is offline for servicing.

Furthermore, we provided DC Public Schools with a schematic design of an innovative net-zero facility that would have derived its energy from a wood-burning Biomass plant. The plant would have included an 8 MW BTU boiler burning wood chips from a fuel-fed auger system featuring a primary combustion zone, tertiary combustion air, an emission control device, an economizer, an ash removal bin, an induced draft fan, and an automatic de-ash system. This system would have generated high-temperature hot water for powering the building's two 3 MW turbines.

Mechanical systems designed include DOAS (Dedicated outdoor air system) and AHU’s (Air handling Units). The new school features a four-pipe hydronic mechanical system consisting of condensing boilers for heating and chillers plus a cooling tower for cooling. Designed Photovoltaic system about– 146,000 sf approximately 1,500 kW.

The project is LEED Gold certified.