Schools provide complex puzzles for the architects and engineers who engage them. In this panel discussion, two high performance firms and their construction and engineering partners will discuss the challenges and rewards of decision-making in an educational environment, and the value of a fully integrated design process. At the Proctor Academy, the new dining hall’s energy target was Net Zero. The complex load profile – especially the all-electric kitchen and its extensive make-up air requirements, presented the design team with a hefty challenge. At the Friends School of Portland, architect and builder engaged with the school’s building committee to create a building to embrace the community’s values of Simplicity, Integrity and Stewardship, and managed to deliver Maine’s first Passive House school building.