James M. Bennett High School

Gipe Associates provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection system design and construction administration for the James M. Bennett High School located on College Avenue in Salisbury, Maryland.  The Mechanical and Electrical systems design were based on an educational facility of approximately (235,000 two hundred thirty five thousand) total square footage.  The project included a new school and renovations to the existing auditorium.  The heating and cooling were provided by a geothermal system consisting of four (4) wellfields with approximately 150 wells each. All six hundred, 240 foot deep boreholes are installed beneath the school’s sports fields.  Domestic hot water is pre-treated to 110º Fahrenheit utilizing the geothermal heat pump system.  This drastically cuts down the fuel needed for the primary hot water heaters.  Ventilation for the facility is delivered through hydronic Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV).  With this technology, the needed cooling/heating capacity to treat outside air can be reduced by as much as 75%.  CO₂ monitoring of the outside air, along with variable speed fans, further reduces the energy needs at the facility by supplying ventilation only when needed.

The latest in high efficiency lighting utilizing daylight harvesting and dimming controls complement the premium efficiency HVAC system.

Project Type: K-12,