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Odyssey Charter School
1755 Eldron Blvd. S.E.
Palm Bay, FL 32909
Odyssey Charter School is a 46,619 square foot prekindergarten through eighth grade charter school that was designed by Spacecoast Architects P.A. of Indialantic, FL, and constructed in 2005. After documenting the school's energy use in Portfolio Manager, Odyssey earned the ENERGY STAR® in 2007 with an energy performance rating of 95. Odyssey uses 30 percent less energy and spends 70 percent less money on its power bills compared to the industry standard for K-12 schools. These savings were realized without adding any cost to the construction of the facility. In fact, even with Odyssey's sustainability benefits, the school was constructed at the price of $70 per square foot, almost half the average price of other public schools in the area.
Odyssey achieves its energy efficiency through appropriate site orientation, extensive use of daylighting, incorporation of mass, proper material selection, advanced HVAC design, and demand management strategies. The building is oriented with a long E/W axis to maximize daylighting and minimize potential A/C loads. The school also saves energy costs by using native plantings to accent the facility, which don't require fertilizers, insect control, or an irrigation system. Since opening in 2005, Odyssey has seen numerous measurable benefits, including lower energy bills, lower absenteeism, and high academic performance. Odyssey Charter School is Florida's first high performance school and also received a Florida A+ rating from the state.
Communications:
Odyssey Charter School was featured in the Spring 2004 edition of Florida Caribbean Architect.
Testimonial:
Odyssey Employees and visitors to Odyssey have found the new building to be a healthy and enjoyable place to be.
"The naturally day lit classrooms are bright and cheery, but not bright in an artificial way. Even though you are indoors, you get that outdoor feel."
- Wendi Nolder, Odyssey Kindergarten Teacher
"The School offers facility tours. A frequent comment made by our visitors, ranging from parents to state legislators, is that the air smells good. I personally have never worked in a building with such incredible air quality."
- Constance Ortiz, Odyssey Executive Director
"After I leave work each Friday, my respiratory allergies get worse. I look forward to returning to work on Mondays, so I can breathe more clearly."
-George Lee, Technology Specialist
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The narrative information in this profile has been provided by Odyssey Charter School Inc. or a representative of this facility.
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