King + King Architects was faced with a unique design challenge for a South facing classroom wing that was originally designed to incorporate Air-Conditioning but due to budget restrictions with that capital project the A/C system was not fully integrated or constructed.  Other than the internal blind system helping to filter sunlight this south facing wing has over the years been unable to regulate classroom temperatures effectively due to heat gain particularly in the late Spring to early Fall timeframes.

The innovative design solution was one of the first installations of a solar shade / PV tracking system in the United States.  Primarily designed to allow for shading of the south facing building windows and wall surfaces a photovoltaic element was also incorporated that generates 35kW of renewable energy. The shading fins and PV panels automatically align with varying sun angles during the day to provide the maximum shading and electrical generation.   A web based dashboard system is also available for the district’s staff and students to monitor the angle of the fins and the hourly/daily/weekly/yearly energy being generated.  The components of this system were manufactured in Germany, distributed by a United States company, and installed by a local General Construction Contractor and Electrician.