Annie E. Fales Elementary School

Set to open in the Fall of 2021, this new K-3 school replaces the existing, aging Annie E. Fales Elementary School on the same site. The 70,000 gsf structure runs entirely on electricity and is projected to achieve net positive energy status by reducing energy consumption and producing renewable energy on-site by means of a rooftop solar array.

One of the keys to reducing energy use is the inclusion of forty, 600-foot deep High-Performance Geo Xchange (HPGX) closed-loop geothermal wells servicing ground source heat pumps that will heat and cool the proposed building. McPhail designed the geothermal well field.

The new school is located on a moderately to steeply sloping hillside, necessitating up to 30-foot cuts and the use of temporary soil nail walls to retain the excavation and bench the building into the slope. Other geotechnical design considerations included the use of conventional spread footing foundations and foundation drainage to protect the occupied below-grade areas from groundwater intrusion and surface water run-off.

Location

Westborough, MA

Client/Landscape Architect

HMFH Architects

Services Provided

Geoenvironmental
Geotechnical
Geothermal

Project Team