ENERGY STAR Building Design Profile

Located in Cleveland, OH, Adlai Stevenson School is a 62,000-square-foot building that achieved Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR with a rating of 90 out of 100 in EPA's Target Finder tool. The building is a result of owner Cleveland Metropolitan School District's (CMSD) mandate that the next school construction project in Cleveland be designed to achieve superior energy performance and overall sustainability goals. CMSD worked with Richard L. Bowen & Associates (RLB+A), as the architect shares the district's vision of making energy efficiency and sustainability integral to the design process. RLB+A strives to demonstrate that sustainable design helps lower energy demand and prevent greenhouse gas emissions.

The architect and the owner believe that third-party verification plays an important role in environmentally responsible design. To this end, RLB+A and CMSD chose to use EPA's Target Finder to establish and assess energy performance goals, and convey the expected energy use and environmental footprint of their project. With a rating of 90 out of 100 in the tool, Adlai Stevenson School is expected to use 39 percent less energy than an average, comparable building.

The project helps advance energy-efficient and sustainable practices in the City of Cleveland. School district officials hope that by imparting the benefits of environmentally sound design to the community that utilizes the city's school buildings, their sustainability efforts will be a model for future projects in the region.

Numerous features make Adlai Stevenson School highly energy efficient. To better control heat gain and glare, a majority of the classrooms are oriented with north or south facing windows. All classrooms have operable blinds and windows, and all lighting and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are automated to lessen use when the building is vacant. The design also includes a geothermal HVAC system, which significantly reduces the amount of fossil fuel required to heat and cool the building.

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