Customized Green Strategies
Telling your story through green design.
Every school design tells a story. Architects use
exterior materials to reflect the character of the surrounding
neighborhood. School interiors are arranged based
on the needs of the educational curriculum. Logos, slogans and
school colors are prominently displayed to enhance student and
faculty pride. However, it is important to remember the green
design options should also refl ect the vision, values and character
of your educational community.
There are many different ways to tell your story through
green design. The types of energy-efficient strategies you select
are one obvious consideration. Sustainable solutions are different
in the state of Washington than they are in Washington,
D.C. But when planning new construction or renovations, you
should also take into account all aspects of education and
operations, including the integration of green design and educational
goals.
Eco-charrettes and energy models
As with all aspects of the planning process, customizing
sustainable strategies must start with a dialogue between all
stakeholders. Many owners and design teams
choose to participate in an eco-charrette that
serves to clarify expectations and potential
options. The eco-charrette works likes a traditional
charrette. Owner representatives and
members of the design team come together to
address sustainable goals and analyze tradeoffs
and potential costs. Topics to address
include: water efficiency, energy and atmosphere,
materials and resources, sustainable
sites and indoor environmental quality. Such
a collaborative session allows the team to analyze green design
solutions in the context of the specific challenges facing your
educational community.
While the eco-charrette addresses big picture issues, the
specifics of your sustainable strategies are developed through a
comprehensive energy model. The model allows you to see your
story unfold in advance. By using the model to explore a variety of
strategies, you are able to see the impact of solutions on projected
energy usage and future energy costs. Building orientation, system
selection and natural lighting strategies are just some of the options
analyzed through the energy model.
Aligning green strategies with educational goals
Part of telling your story through green design involves customization
based on educational goals. For example, it is important
to balance the impact of glazing on heating and cooling loads
with the benefits of natural light on the learning process. Students
in rooms with high levels of natural light progress faster on Math
and English benchmark tests, by as much as 26 percent. In addition,
research connects proper visual development to the ability
to regularly view objects at different distances. Students’ eyes feel
more relaxed if they are able to look at the outside world throughout
the day. Often, this information results in owners choosing to
include direct natural lighting in 100 percent of classrooms.
Another factor to consider is indoor air quality, which has been
proven to reduce absentee rates among students and staff. Attendance
is one of the strongest predictors of success in the classroom.
The building as a teaching tool
One of the most powerful ways to express your school’s vision is
through the use of green design strategies which function as teaching
tools. In many schools, green design elements are a seamless
part of the overall fabric of the campus. In some
cases, this takes the form of energy dashboards
that allow students to monitor energy usage
and the output of on-site renewable energy
systems. In other cases, schools use rain gardens
as outdoor labs for project-based learning
opportunities.
When it comes to the use of the building as
teaching tool, the options are limited only by
your imagination. At Phelps Architecture, Construction
and Engineering High School in Washington,
D.C., exposed building systems are color coded, allowing
students to see how the school works as they walk the halls. Across
the city, Woodrow Wilson High School features a complex greenhouse
that is integrated with the school’s science curricula. Called
the EcoLab, the greenhouse allows science students to recreate any
ecosystem on earth and engage in creative environmental studies.
Every aspect of your school facility should refl ect the goals and
character of your educational community. Green design solutions
are no different. Through careful planning, and a little creativity,
you can create buildings that are energy-efficient, educationally
appropriate and exciting places to learn. SPM
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
About the Author
Terrance R. Liette, PE, LEED-AP, is the director of Engineering for Fanning Howey. Under his direction, Fanning Howey has become the first architecture/engineering firm to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award. Terry has overseen the design of 39 K-12 schools achieving Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR certification.