MODULAR/TRANSPORTABLE CLASSROOM STRUCTURES

THIS PROJECT WILL DESIGN AND DEVELOP A NEW BREED OF ENERGY EFFICIENT MODULAR/TRANSPORTABLE CLASSROOMS THAT WILL INCORPORATE DAYLIGHTING, PASSIVE SOLAR TECHNIQUES, NATURAL VENTILATION, AND SOLAR WATER HEATING. THE PRODUCT WILL BE BASED ON INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES RESULTING IN AN ENERGY EFFICIENT AND PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHFUL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY CAUSE MANY SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT FLUCTUATIONS IN STUDENT POPULATION RESULTING IN AN IMMEDIATE, AND POSSIBLY ONLY TEMPORARY, NEED FOR MORE CLASSROOM SPACE. EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TRANSPORTABLE CLASSROOM MODULES ARE USED AS A MEANS OF RAPIDLY PROVIDING THE REQUIRED SPACE AT A REASONABLE COST. SIGNIFICANT ENERGY SAVINGS CAN BE REALIZED IN THESE STRUCTURES THROUGH THE INCORPORATION OF STATE OF THE ART MATERIALS AND SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR LIGHTING, HEATING, AND VENTILATION, AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO A MODULAR STRUCTURE. EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON ERGONOMICS AND ECONOMICS TO ASSURE A USER FRIENDLY, EFFORDABLE CLASSROOM. THE PHASE II PROGRAM WILL PURSUE THE DETAILED DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND PERFORMANCE TESTING OF A FULL SCALE PROTOTYPE.