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SmartSpace - The Award-Winning Design delivers Speed, Style and Sustainability to The Carroll School in Lincoln, MA

SmartSpace School Unveiled

What began as the Portable Classroom Design Challenge initiated jointly by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland and the USGBC, that was won by the team of NRB Inc, Ephrata, PA, Triumph Modular, Littleton, MA and Architectural Resources Cambridge, Cambridge, MA soon took on a life of it’s own when it moved from the winning Design boards to the Ephrata Plant floor, with a proto-type aptly named SmartSpace.

The first of it’s kind, the new SmartSpace School building took only six weeks to build, and less than a week to completely install and commission. It was unveiled to an invited group of architects, consultants, business associates and school officials in Lincoln, MA on November 29, 2006, at a grand opening reception hosted by Triumph SmartSpace that also included a tour and an AIA seminar presented by NRB on the current trends and advances in Permanent Modular Construction technology today, as well as an in-depth look at the green building initiatives that drove the SmartSpace design.

As Cliff Cort, president of Triumph SmartSpace, and Laurie Robert, vice-president of NRB, agree, “Whether we are builders or owners, it’s time that we all have a greater appreciation for the benefits of building ‘green,’ not only for the future protection of our environment and resources, but for the well-being and comfort of the students and teachers or employees who occupy the buildings.”

Some key features and benefits of the SmartSpace technology include:

Speed: SmartSpace buildings can be ready to go in as little as half the time of their conventionally built counterparts. Building construction off-site occurs simultaneously with on-site development and that results in a significantly shorter construction schedule. In a world where sustainability is gaining momentum each day, building off-site in a controlled environment and shorter overall schedules can mean less site disturbance and construction pollutants for our environment – not to mention better safety and security for the day to day business.

Sustainability: The SmartSpace “Premier” Classroom design, as built for The Carroll School, transforms LEED principles into building practices. Eco-friendly; healthy; energy-efficient, these three key elements of sustainability are combined to create a better building envelope*. Characteristics include the strength and non-combustibility of recycled steel, a blanket of rigid insulation providing thermal protection that not only moves the dew-point away from the wall and roof cavity, but exceeds ASHRAE standards. Other materials used such as recycled carpet and MDF wallboard, or strategies implemented that consider renewable resources such as FSC certified plywood and bamboo all work together for a more environmentally responsible design package.

Optimized ventilation, C02 sensors, materials that are formaldehyde-free or have low to no VOC’s; and better natural day lighting help to make the environment a healthier, more productive place to be.

High efficiency, ducted HVAC unit with occupancy sensors and energy recovery systems works in tandem with superior lighting control sensor systems that balance the infusion of natural lighting through sun tunnels with efficient artificial lighting to reduce energy consumption. TPO “Energy Star” white roofing and insulated low E glass windows with sun-shades, work to reflect or temper solar heat gain.

An Energy Performance analysis completed by The Hickory Consortium in Harvard MA, compared the SmartSpace design to a similar building that just meets Massachusetts Energy Code, and also to a building that meets the ASHRAE standard. In short summary, various findings included:

• “Due to better insulation, windows, day-lighting, C02 controlled energy recovery ventilation, and higher efficiency equipment, this building will save approximately 54% of the energy cost in comparison to the stricter ASHRAE 90.1-2004 standard.”
• “There is also a 68% reduction in heating energy consumption, and a 49% reduction in cooling energy. Lighting energy is reduced by 80% relative to the code building”.
• “Given the sterling performance of 54% energy savings, this building qualifies for all 10 (LEED) energy efficiency points”
• “In summary, the (SmartSpace) Green Classroom has all the attributes of a well integrated design which considers materials, energy and the environment. For a modular commercial school building, this attention to detail and multiple operational characteristics promises to produce remarkable energy, health and environmental performance”.

Style: SmartSpace technology is a result of flexibility and innovation – a unique blend of architectural expression and modular methodology brought together to create custom, quality space with eye-appeal, and all with the permanence and performance of conventional construction. All SmartSpace buildings are customized, and can contain as many architectural features and finishes, and as many green elements as the client wishes to adopt.

Green – Greener – Greenest

SmartSpace technology today isn’t just about the winning Premier Portable Classroom Design for MCPS, or the new facility at The Carroll School, nor does it involve only school facilities. It engages a fresh set of high-performance values - a philosophy in modular construction that is simply more environmentally responsible, to help preserve not just our eco-system, but also promote the well being of the people who occupy our buildings. And choosing to explore SmartSpace technology doesn’t mean LEED certification is the required outcome of that choice, because each building can be customized to give clients exactly what they want in a facility – in any shade of green! But by choosing SmartSpace over other more customary building design principles, you can be sure that you are in some way, taking another positive step towards protecting people, the environment and the future. .

*We are proud to say that the basic building envelope criteria chosen by the design team for SmartSpace, and implemented in the construction of The Carroll School is based on the NRB PC2000 series portable classroom design developed in 2000 by NRB Inc, and currently available to the marketplace today.

Acknowledgements for the design, construction, and marketing of SmartSpace:

NRB (USA) Inc.
Ephrata, PA
www.nrb-inc.com

Triumph SmartSpace
Littleton, MA
www.triumphsmartspace.com

Architectural Resources Cambridge
Cambridge, MA
www.arcusa.com

Acknowledgements for the Energy Performance Analysis
The Hickory Consortium
Harvard, MA
www.hickoryconsortium.org

To visit Triumph SmartSpace site, click here.

To learn about other quality NRB buildings and services, including permanent multi-story modular schools, click here.