The existing Southside Elementary School was undersized and in poor condition. The Shelby County Board of Education desired to have a new 600 student building constructed on the same site. Complicating this was that the existing building had to be maintained during the construction of the new building. A new 73,600 square foot, two-story building arranged with the main entrance on the upper level and connected by a canopy to a portion of the former school which will remain and be renovated as a multi-use community and school training facility. This design provided a value added approach to give the school district “found space” at a low cost.

The siting of the two-story classroom building takes advantage of the east-west orientation of the site to provide southern exposure. The building meets Energy Star and Kentucky Green School standards. High energy efficiency systems are used including an insulated concrete forms (ICF) wall system and a geothermal well field provides heat exchange for water source heat pumps.