San Elizario Administration Building San Elizario, Texas

The new 18,600 square foot Central Administration Building for the San Elizario Independent School District utilizes many energy saving features while providing a superior architectural experience for employees and visitors.

The tilt-up concrete panel building is thermally protected with an exterior insulation system, as well as interior batt insulation. Interior concrete corridor walls act as heat sinks to conserve energy consumption for climate control. Exterior windows and skylights illuminate work areas so that each person in the building has a direct connection with the outside world. A metal roof shades the south side of the building to cut down on cooling costs. All fluorescent lights have energy saving electronic ballasts. The heating and cooling system is zoned according to usage and building orientation and, where applicable, employs variable air volume dampers to allow many different individualss to custom control the temperature of their spaces while saving energy.

Among the meeting spaces are the board hall with seating for over 200 and the more intimate board conference room. The meeting spaces are sound isolated to accommodate private discussions. All office spaces are networked to a central computer hub with a server which can be used to control various building systems. All departments have strategically distributed storage spaces for files. The 3.44-acre site is landscaped with native and adapted species and includes on-site ponding and space for a future 8000 square-foot development center.

The project was completed on time and in budget.

Cost: $1,950,000 Completed: August 2002