D.C.’s Dunbar High School Goes Deep to Go Green

Historic Dunbar High School, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., has gone deep to go green.  While the new school building has all the outward qualities a student could want – a beautiful theater, a gym and pool, open space, and so much more – the most fascinating part of the school’s renovation is under the football field. Yes, the football field.

Designed by architects at Perkins Eastman, Dunbar is the largest urban geothermal system in the District at 850 tons of capacity and is essentially sourcing its heating and cooling from 362 wells dug 460 feet into the core of D.C. Using roof solar panels, two 20,000-gallon cisterns for reusing rainwater for toilet flushing, and radiant heating systems, Dunbar is set to achieve LEED Platinum certification for their new school facility.

Read more about the geothermal well system here.

Take a photo tour here.

Watch a video about the history of Dunbar High here.