Four Winds Alternative and Career Technology Education High School

Fort Totten, ND

Shingobee’s construction of an energy-efficient building for the Fort Totten Public School District was completed and ready for students and staff in August 2017.

The new 12,500 square foot Career Technology Education facility is located adjacent to the Four Winds Community School on the Spirit Lake Reservation. It expands the educational experience that students have by offering alternative programs. It includes classrooms, lab space for six teachers, bathrooms, storage areas, and offices.

The building has been registered for Zero Energy Certification with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The net-zero school will produce more energy than it consumes each year. There are other net-zero schools in the United States, but this new school is the first on tribal land and the first in North Dakota. The certification requires an independent audit of its energy performance over a 12 consecutive month period post-occupancy, and the school is currently in this monitoring period through the ILFI to attain Zero Energy Certification.

The features of the building that contribute to its energy efficiency are photovoltaic (solar) panels, a decentralized ground-source geothermal heating and cooling system, high-efficiency water-to-air heat pumps, energy recovery system for free heating and cooling, variable-speed fans and pumps to minimize excess energy use, occupancy sensors for demand-based lighting, LED lighting, solar tubes for day-lighting, specially insulated, high R-value walls and roof, and triple pane windows.

National Award of Excellence, Associated Builders and Contractors
Greener Tomorrow Award, Associated Builders and Contractors
Award of Excellence, Associated Builders and Contractors MN/ND Chapter