Designing a new high school to be 40 percent more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 – 2001 energy requirements is a feat in itself. To achieve this degree of efficiency on a very limited capital budget while designing a state-of-the-art, energy-demanding technical high school is an even greater feat. This is exactly what the StudioJAED architectural and engineering firm accomplished at the Providence Career and Technical Academy (PCTA) in Providence, R.I., to comply with the design requirements of the Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools (NE-CHPS).
PCTA opened its doors to its first class of students on Sept. 2, 2009, after 212,000 square feet of new construction plus 72,000 square feet of renovation in the previously existing Hanley Classroom Building. Now one of New England’s premier technical high schools, PCTA features high-tech classrooms, equipment, labs, media centers, athletic facilities, and other amenities for a high-quality education. The school offers nine vocational programs including HVAC, automotive technology, construction technology, cosmetology, and culinary arts, in addition to a required college-prep curriculum of math, science, and English.