Renovation Of Former Mercy High Building Wins Engineering Excellence Award

Press release from Cincinnati Public Schools:

March 8, 2021

Cincinnati Public Schools recently received the 2021 ASHRAE Technology Award of Engineering Excellence for the renovation that turned the former all-girls Mercy High School in Westwood into Gamble Montessori High School.

Renovating the Mercy site, a 100-year-old, historic school building, provided CPS with a building that cost less than half of what it would have cost for a new building, in less than half the time. The renovated building opened to Gamble students in August 2019.

Building energy use at Gamble is 11 percent below baseline (when excluding COVID-19 operations). Improvements to the building's comfort level for students and staff were achieved using items such as a central heating and cooling plant, and mechanical ventilation using a dedicated outdoor air system.

ASHRAE's (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Award of Engineering Excellence was created in 1989 to recognize outstanding application of innovative design and effective energy use. This is just the seventh time it has been awarded.

This press release was produced by Cincinnati Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.