As the first LEED certified public school in Ohio, Licking County’s Career + Technology Center (C-TEC) earned state-wide attention. Central Ohio’s Green Building Council, along with a number of other state organizations, sent representatives to observe the school’s innovative leadership in action, and C-TEC still provides tours of the new facilities for numerous interested parties. When asked why C-TEC decided to go green, the school district facilities manager at the time, Rick Orr, tells people that the energy savings potential was a primary factor in C-TEC’s decision to pursue LEED certification.

7group provided LEED consulting, charrette facilitation, energy peer reviews, and extensive commissioning services for the project. Energy and water efficiency were closely considered in the design of this existing facility’s renovation and additions, and a ten-year comparison analysis done in 1999 indicated significant savings: although the new construction doubled C-TEC’s building size, natural gas consumption increased by only 60%, electricity consumption increased by only 40%, and water usage actually decreased by 36%.

Energy savings features include photocell-sensored dimming and occupant sensors for lighting controls, along with a robust thermal envelope (including triple-glazed windows) that allowed for the elimination of existing inefficient heating systems. Low-flow plumbing fixtures and waterless urinals were installed as water-saving measures, and stormwater management design retains all onsite water runoff via groundwater recharge. The initial integrative design phase included heavy community involvement to obtain referendum- based financing, and C-TEC views the new sustainable facility as a long-term investment that benefits both the environment and Ohio taxpayers, while at the same time reflecting the school’s mission of offering leading-edge educational programs that develop skilled and community-minded citizens.