GCS Receives Prestigious Construction Award

GCS Honored for Reducing Operating Costs, Designing for Health, Safety and Comfort 

GCS is a leader in promoting energy efficiency and environmentally sound designs for new schools, according to the North Carolina State Energy Office.

The district received a Sustainable Energy Leadership Award for making an outstanding contribution in helping North Carolina achieve its energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability goals. GCS is the only school district in North Carolina to receive this award.

“It is important to build energy efficient schools in order to reduce our dependency on non-renewable energy sources and the ever increasing costs associated with those sources,” said Joe Hill, GCS facilities consultant. “Several notable goals in our design of new school facilities include reducing operating costs, protecting our environment, designing buildings that teach, improving academic performance and designing for health, safety and comfort.”

GCS has developed its own set of detailed green design specifications, known as the G3-Guilford Green Guide. Two of its newest schools, Northern Guilford Middle and Reedy Fork Elementary, have received the Energy Star rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for estimated energy performance. Last summer, Northern Middle School was featured as an EPA Energy Star Case Study in an American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment publication.

The awards are selected based on the combination of the entities’ sphere of influence, impact on the community and their results.