GERTRUDE E. CHAMBERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Facilities Sound Insulation Design
JP served as Architect and the Owner’s Project Manager for this building envelope improvement project. Working with C3 Engineers, JP designed the ventilation package for Gertrude E. Chamberlin Elementary School in South Burlington, VT. The school sits less than half a mile from Burlington International Airport (BTV) and experiences daily interruptions from the sound of aircraft. BTV received a $1.65 million federal grant to upgrade the school’s ventilation system so that doors and windows can remain closed year-round to reduce aircraft noise in the classrooms and other learning spaces.
Project Highlights:
- Multiple Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) units were installed to improve the school’s air quality and increase energy efficiency. The ERVs:
- Provide fresh air to the building while exhausting the stale air outside. This project, conceived prior to the onset of COVID, was implemented in 2021, coincidentally featuring a ventilation system crucial for mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
- Increase energy efficiency by recovering energy from the exhaust air streams and transferring that energy to the outside air brought in for occupant ventilation. This “free” energy reduces the amount of mechanical energy required to condition the outside air. In summer, incoming air is cooled by the outgoing exhaust air. During winter, the opposite occurs, with incoming cool air being heated by energy from the exhaust.
- New air conditioning units were added to classrooms to ensure the school’s windows could stay closed.
- The primary power into the building was upgraded to ensure sufficient power supply to the new units.
- The infrastructure required for the mechanical upgrades was distributed throughout the school’s hallway ceilings. Ceilings were replaced to accommodate the work in the original mid-century portions of the building.