Arlington ISD Agricultural Science Center

Project Overview

In 2019, Arlington ISD opened its new 28,000 square-foot Agricultural Science Center to students and faculty. There, students can learn hands-on about all things related to agriculture.

Highlights

28,000 SF
New Construction
K-12, Education
Budget: $5.9M
Designed in Revit MEP

Project Team

Architect – VLK Architects

General Contractor – Ratcliff Companies

Project Details

The district’s new 28,000 square-foot Agricultural Science Center allows students and teachers the opportunity to have a hands-on learning experience in the realm of agriculture education.

The structure’s distinctive design operates as an indoor/outdoor facility. Interior doors open directly to the outdoors which allows for good ventilation and airflow through the corridor. Included in the design are two classroom spaces, administration areas, animal pens, open-air barns, and a metal shop was added.

The Arlington ISD Agricultural Science Center is a net-zero energy building. In this case, the building is producing more energy than it consumes. The Energy Management System (EMS) is tied to all the mechanical components and tracks the daily usage of the facility. The electricity produced is stored in a series of inverters and all extra is pushed out to the local power grid. On Texas’s warmest days, the electricity produced from the solar array is about one megawatt. The wind turbine produces about 1.7 kilowatts of electricity per day.

The energy-efficient products that are in-use at the Center:

Roof-Mounted photovoltaic (PV) Solar Array
Wind Turbine
Rainwater Collection Tanks

The PV array and wind turbine help with energy production. A bi-directional meter attached to the PV array allows the building to buy or sell electricity to the local utility. The four rainwater storage collection tanks help with irrigation and other internal barn purposes.

RWB was awarded the 2021 Building Technology Award from ASHRAE Dallas for our innovative work on this project.

RWB’s Work in Arlington ISD

RWB began working with Arlington ISD in 1995. We have completed work on almost every campus in the district. RWB has provided many K-12 facilities with MEP services on New Construction, Additions and Renovations and various types of MEP Upgrades.

RWB is currently performing work on these schools:

Atherton Elementary School
Foster Elementary School
Johns Elementary School

About Arlington ISD

Arlington ISD serves nearly 60,000 students in North Texas over 79 different campuses, making it the 13th largest school district in Texas. Arlington ISD offers many programs including the international Baccalaureate World School Program, an award-winning special education program, and co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Students can participate in a number of Fine Arts activities including Band, Choir, Orchestra, Dance and Theater. Athletic teams vary from archery, to wrestling, including: basketball, baseball, cross country, football, gymnastics, golf, tennis, track and field, soccer, swimming, strength and conditioning and volleyball.