On June 21st, DEW Construction, in collaboration with the South Burlington School District and Dore + Whittier Architects, broke ground on the $6M Zero Energy Modulars (ZEMs) project at Rick Marcotte Central School and Orchard School.
These two elementary schools within the District have faced space challenges for years due to a substantial increase in enrollment, leading to shared classrooms, transformed offices, and utilizing temporary trailers as office space. The ZEMs will give the expanding student population much-needed room to grow.
The ZEMs are factory-built by KBS Builders, Inc., and are highly efficient modular units that allow for improved quality control and speedier assembly timeframes. Because ZEMs are built with high-performance insulation, triple-pane windows, and efficient HVAC systems, their annual energy consumption is lower than that of a standard structure of the same size. The ZEMs are “net zero energy ready,” meaning their annual energy usage may be offset by installing on-site renewables like solar panels or wind turbines.
By the fall of 2023, each school will be outfitted with 12 ZEMs, providing four classrooms per grade and two smaller group rooms totaling around 1,000 SF at each location, 13,416 GSF in total. The ZEMs are weatherproof and will be connected to the schools by means of corridors.
In attendance were Superintendent Violet Nichols, Senior Director of Operations and Finance Tim Jarvis, School Board Member Kate Bailey, RMCS Principal Lissa McDonald, and South Burlington City Council Clerk Tim Barritt, Superintendent Violet Nichols, Senior Director of Operations and Finance, Tim Jarvis, School Board Member Kate Bailey, Mark Trifilio, Orchard Principal, and Olivia Kane, Orchard Assistant Principal, as well as representatives from DEW Construction and Dore + Whittier Architects.
