Marine Creek Middle School

Project Overview

This new middle school in Fort Worth features a unique design that includes huddle spaces throughout the facility. These collaborative areas inspire creativity and encourage students to work together. By integrating flexible gathering spots, the school fosters teamwork and innovation, enhancing the overall learning environment.

Highlights

166,000 SF
New Construction
K-12, Education
Budget: $41.9M

Project Team

Architect – VLK Architects
General Contractor – Pogue Construction

Awards

Spring 2020 Learning By Design

Outstanding Project Award

Project Details

Marine Creek Middle School is a new-construction K-12 facility located in Fort Worth, Texas, designed specifically to serve students in grades 6 through 8. The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District envisioned a modern learning environment that fosters academic achievement and supports student growth. To meet these goals, the district invested in a state-of-the-art campus that officially opened in August 2019. With a capacity to accommodate 1,200 students and staff, the school provides flexible and collaborative spaces, cutting-edge technology, and sustainable building features that enhance the overall educational experience.

RWB Consulting Engineers played a key role by delivering comprehensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering design for this award-winning project. Our team focused on creating energy-efficient and reliable systems that maintain optimal indoor air quality, lighting, and comfort throughout the facility. Moreover, the design supports the district’s commitment to sustainability and cost-effectiveness, aligning with modern school construction standards.

Since opening, Marine Creek Middle School has received positive feedback from educators, students, and the community for its innovative design and functionality. The facility not only supports rigorous academic programs but also offers flexible spaces that accommodate extracurricular activities and community events. Additionally, the school’s sustainable features contribute to reduced operating costs and a healthier learning environment.

Overall, this project highlights RWB’s dedication to partnering with educational clients like Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD to create high-performance schools that inspire learning and serve communities well into the future.

HVAC Design Spotlight: Geothermal System

A geothermal HVAC system offers many benefits for middle schools, with longevity and energy efficiency being two of the most important advantages. When designed correctly, a geothermal system can operate efficiently for decades without the need to replace costly equipment.

Preliminary Evaluation: Is Geothermal a Good Fit?

However, geothermal systems do have limitations depending on the site. We must carefully consider the size of the land and soil conditions before proceeding. At Marine Creek Middle School, the available land for a geothermal well field was limited, which posed a challenge.

On every project, the RWB team thoroughly reviews all HVAC options to identify the best solution for the owner. For this project, we took several key steps to evaluate the feasibility of a geothermal system, including:

Calculating a preliminary load for the building to determine the required system capacity.
Reviewing site plans and geotechnical surveys to assess ground and soil conditions.
Identifying unsuitable areas for geothermal wells, such as utility easements and landscaped zones.
Drafting a proposed well field layout that accounts for the necessary separation between wells, which is critical for system longevity.

After completing this analysis, we concluded that the available space was insufficient to support a geothermal system for the entire building.

Hybrid Geothermal: Maximizing Energy Savings

To overcome this limitation, the RWB mechanical team proposed a hybrid geothermal design. Hybrid systems combine two or more HVAC technologies, enabling owners to enjoy the benefits of geothermal where feasible, while supplementing other areas with alternative solutions.

For Marine Creek Middle School, the hybrid system includes:

A geothermal system serving the academic and administration areas.
Rooftop units (RTUs) servicing the cafeteria, kitchen, athletic facilities, and fine arts spaces.

This hybrid approach optimizes energy efficiency by applying geothermal technology where it delivers the most benefit. Geothermal well fields are ideal for spaces like classrooms that experience regular and predictable heating and cooling loads. Meanwhile, rooftop units handle areas with more variable schedules, such as cafeterias and gyms.

Ultimately, this hybrid system provides the best of both worlds for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD—combining sustainability, efficiency, and operational practicality.

Marine Creek Middle School - Geothermal Water Source Heat Pumps

Marine Creek Middle School - Geothermal Piping

Marine Creek Middle School - Goethermal Valves

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Marine Creek Middle School - Electrical Panels

Marine Creek Middle School - Lighting and Diffusers

Electrical Design Spotlight: Making Maintenance Easier

To meet life-safety requirements outlined in building codes, backlit signage—such as emergency exit signs—must have backup power. Although emergency lighting always connects to the building’s main power supply, having battery power as a secondary source is essential. This backup ensures that even if the building loses power, the signage stays illuminated by the battery, keeping occupants safe.

Most buildings maintain battery backup in every space. In fact, many emergency exit signs and emergency lighting rely on common nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries for backup power. However, facility managers face the ongoing challenge of ensuring these batteries remain adequately charged. In a large facility like Marine Creek Middle School, hundreds of backup batteries require regular testing and replacement. This challenge multiplies for organizations like school districts that manage multiple buildings.

To address this issue, RWB designed a unique electrical system focused on centralized backup battery power. First, we installed LED emergency signage and lighting at Marine Creek Middle School. LED fixtures offer greater energy efficiency while emitting bright, reliable light. Furthermore, these LED fixtures connect to low-voltage building power, reducing overall energy consumption and maintenance needs.

This approach streamlines maintenance, improves reliability, and enhances life-safety compliance—benefits that are especially valuable for large educational facilities managing complex electrical systems.

For the backup system, RWB used a centralized battery backup system. Instead of batteries in every room, there is just one central battery cabinet on each wing and floor of the building. By utilizing a centralized battery system instead of individual batteries, we reduced the building maintenance required.

Marine Creek Middle School - Building Exterior Front

Putting the Owner First

Marine Creek Middle School – Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD

At RWB, we take time to listen to our clients and understand their needs. Our team weighed the desires of the client when designing the MEP system for the school:

Delivered the project on-time and on-schedule, despite a shorter than normal time frame
The modern architectural design required extra coordination effort among all the trades to ensure space and fit of building systems
Reduced the equipment footprint and cost by applying our in-depth understanding of local building codes and standards like ASHRAE 90.1-2013
Minimized the size and cost of ductwork by implementing an outside air pre-treatment system