<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1YXJdn_0py0XSpQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1YXJdn_0py0XSpQ00" width="1927" height="1076" ><figcaption>A rendering of the front of the planned Occoquan Elementary School. Courtesy of Prince William County Public Schools</figcaption></figure>Plans are set for the new Occoquan Elementary School to replace the 97-year-old original elementary building, becoming the county’s first net-zero school.The new structure will have several design features enabling it to produce as much energy as it uses, making it net-zero. County officials presented the plans for the building at a Prince William County School Board meeting earlier this month.“This project is a testament to our commitment to not only provide exceptional education, but to do so in a sustainable and environmentally-responsive manner,” Vernon Bock, Prince William County Public Schools’ chief operating officer, told the School Board Nov. 1.The building will use solar power and geothermal energy to power the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.It will also be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, referred to as LEED, certified building. County officials said they are aiming to achieve a minimum of a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=42E8I3_0py0XSpQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=42E8I3_0py0XSpQ00" width="1901" height="1090" ><figcaption>An aerial photo showing the site of the current Occoquan Elementary School, where the new building will be constructed at the back of the site. Courtesy of Prince William County Public Schools</figcaption></figure>Jessica Weimer, supervisor of energy management and sustainability with the school division, told the School Board the district should see a significant decrease in energy use than that of a typical elementary school.Weimer said the building is planned to reduce emissions and the school division’s overall carbon footprint by 306 metric tons of carbon dioxide, about 0.53% of the division’s emissions output.The building itself will serve as a teaching tool, Weimer said, with an interactive dashboard, an indicator showing energy used versus produced, a visible mechanical room, an outdoor classroom with solar panels and educational signage throughout the building.The building will have two wings, one of which will be the administrative area and large-group area including the gymnasium and cafeteria, with the other being a three-story instructional room wing.The interior concept will honor Occoquan’s connection to Native American history and incorporate elements of nature throughout the design.The new building will be constructed behind the current Occoquan elementary school at the back of the site, where there are currently fields.“Part way through the construction we will have a ceremony and relocate students into their brand new school, and then we will restore the site at the front with fields,” said Heather Dietz, director of the school division’s facilities department.Construction on the new Occoquan Elementary School is planned to begin in the spring of 2024, and Dietz said students will move to the new school “ideally” in the winter of 2025 before the project ultimately wraps up in the summer of 2026.The replacement project is estimated to cost just over $59 million, including $15 million in additional funds required to achieve net-zero, according to the school division’s capital improvement plan.</div></body>

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New Occoquan Elementary to be Prince William's first ‘net-zero’ school

Plans are set for the new Occoquan Elementary School to replace the 97-year-old original elementary building, becoming the county’s first net-zero school. The new structure will have several design features enabling it to produce as much energy as it uses, making it net-zero. County officials presented the plans for the building at a Prince William County School Board meeting earlier this month.