A team from Garmann/Miller Architects-Engineers has been selected by the Ohio School Boards Association to address its attendees. Matt Hibner, AIA; John Ridder, RCDD; and Greg Wendel will represent the firm at the 64th annual OSBA Capital Conference & Trade Show, Nov. 10–12, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
They are part of a robust education program that covers approximately 30 categories ranging from administration and athletics to safety and security. Team GMAE will join Andrew Sprang, Fostoria City Schools’ superintendent, to present on the firm’s technology design implemented throughout the district’s new and renovated buildings.
“We’re honored to accept OSBA’s invitation to provide sustainable technology solutions that will help its members increase efficiency and reduce utility costs for their districts,” Hibner said.
The group will focus its presentation on Garmann/Miller’s Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON) design that it developed for Fostoria. The GPON model allows for smaller, fiber-cabling pathways that produce significant utility cost savings compared to a traditional technology network. The firm estimates its GPON to be 10 to 20 percent more efficient.
Sprang said three factors contributed to using GPON: support, space and savings. It delivered a strong enough network to support the digital education needs in Fostoria’s classrooms. It also allowed for more square footage in the buildings for academic space as multiple cooling closets for traditional servers were not needed. This lowers utility costs for the district.
GMAE’s GPON was the recipient of the 2019 Most Innovative Project award during AEP Ohio’s Energy Efficiency Awards program held earlier this year in Lima.
More than 9,000 people are expected to attend this year’s OSBA show, which features more than 170 sessions of panel discussions, workshops, one-on-one assistance and nationally renowned speakers addressing a variety of educational issues.
To learn more, click the link to view Garmann Miller’s OSBA presentation deck: https://creategm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GMAE-deck-OSBA-2019.pdf