• Performance
• Pedagogy
• Community
• Responsibility
• Operating Cost

Performance

Generous overhangs and high performance Low-E glass reduce heat gain and decrease cooling energy use at Case Middle School in Honolulu. Photo courtesy of Punahou School.

An optimized learning environment that provides daylight, thermal comfort, good IAQ, and enhanced acoustics enhances student performance. Kristin Heinen, assistant director of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS, Inc.) asserts that the biggest benefits of going green are the positive affects on students learning. Cesar E. Chavez Education Center in Oakland Calif., is a CHPS Demonstration School that showed the greatest academic performance index increase out of 150 schools in its district in one year.

“The school reports a 20 percent increase in math performance at or above grade level,” Heinen says. “Sustainable practices are proven to improve student test scores and speed learning progress. In addition, they help create healthier learning environments that lower illness and absenteeism.”

Building performance benefits too from efficient HVAC systems and durable, low-maintenance materials.

Pedagogy

Visible sustainable elements provide an interactive and experiential learning environment for kids. At Rosa Parks School in Portland, Ore. a monitoring system offers students real-time data on the building’s solar panel energy generation and bioswales teach kids about on-site stormwater treatment.

When Kersey Creek Elementary School in Hanover County, Va. was built in 2006, Moseley Architects worked with the faculty to write curriculum about project strategies that promote environmental responsibility.

“By using the school as a teaching tool, it makes these concepts come alive for the students,” says Bryna Dunn, director of environmental planning and research at Moseley Architects.

Community

Anja S. Caldwell, Architect, LEED green building program manager at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland views her role as an advocate of parents’ interest. As knowledge of the health and environmental benefits of green buildings are becoming commonplace, the communities are increasingly requesting that schools adopt sustainable practices. At the opening of Great Seneca Creek Elementary, Caldwell says that the school’s assistant principal said the building made her proud of her tax dollars.

In fact Caldwell says that in her county, students often approach officials with an environmental agenda. Caldwell got fifth graders at Great Seneca Creek involved in spreading the message to the community by creating a virtual tour of their building.

“The tour was so popular, we’re taking the students and their presentation on the road to help educate the greater community about sustainability,” says Caldwell.

Responsibility

Maywood Academy High School in Los Angeles is a CHPS demonstration school where doors and windows have HVAC interconnects. The facility exceeds California’s Title 24 energy performance by 30 percent. Photo courtesy of WLC Architects.

Our society is facing issues of climate change, energy crises, water shortages, and environmental pollution. Schools want to be a part of the solution to these challenges and demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship. Punahou School is a private school in Honolulu that not only builds sustainable facilities, but also finds innovative ways to operate responsibly. For example, cooking oil used at a recent carnival was recycled and converted into biodiesel fuel.

“Our school is on an island that relies on imports for almost a 100 percent of our needs, so we see the importance of maximizing our resources,” explains Randy Overton, assistant director of facilities at Punahou.

At the public Sherwood School District in Oregon, Superintendent Dan Jamison believes that schools have a moral obligation to be great stewards of the environment.

“By providing good sustainable models with our schools, we educate a generation that will deliver even more profoundly efficient and environmentally friendly structures for generations to come,” he says.

Operating Cost

Energy efficiency can generate tremendous savings in operating costs. For example, California schools currently spend nearly $700 million on energy, but the average district-wide savings from participants in the CHPS program is 30 percent.

Reduced operating costs also can open the door to incorporating other sustainable measures. The Ohio State Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) is in the process of helping to replace or repair all K-12 schools in the state. Last September, the Commission mandated that, moving forward, all schools will meet a minimum LEED for Schools rating of silver certification and should target gold. At least 250 buildings will meet these requirements over the next two years.

“One convincing factor for the state’s chief financial officer was that buildings constructed to LEED silver standards will generate a $1.4 billion return on investment over 40 years,” says Franklin Brown, AIA, LEED AP, OSFC planning director.

Money saved on operating costs can pay back initial costs incurred for green features within a few years and, with the rising costs of energy and water, the savings become even more valuable.

Learning Curve

To achieve the goal of going green, Brown says finding those with the right skill set is important. “It’s one thing to be a LEED AP, it’s another to have gone through the process of LEED certification. A lot of architects think they know what it’s all about, but there are many places you can stumble,” he says.

For example, the light reflectance of the paint in the classrooms can affect the size of the chiller. Brown says consultants have to understand the relationships between items that may not be immediately apparent.

Fear of additional costs is another challenge districts encounter, and Dunn says that people often don’t realize that it’s not as much as they anticipate. During the construction of Third Creek Elementary in Statesville, N.C. the group set aside an extra $250,000 for green features that was never used, as the incremental cost of the items fit within the school’s original construction budget.

According to Jamison, unexpected costs can arise during the land use planning process. While overlapping jurisdictions may seek to protect the environment, contradictory interpretations and poor communication among the agencies can hold up the project and inflate the budget.

Caldwell says it’s important to know the numbers because someone who doesn’t recognize the benefits to students and the environment will still be able to understand the monetary savings.

Good Ideas

To provide a healthier indoor environment at Great Seneca Creek Elementary School in Germantown, Md., Montgomery County selected low-VOC materials paints, and finishes as well as formaldehyde-free products. Photo by Ken Wyner Photography.

Because the costs can increase depending on climate and which measures are selected, Heinen says localities should set aside funds for sustainable measures in their bonds and that states should include funding incentives for green schools.

Experts agree that it’s best to incorporate sustainable concepts during the programming stage, even before the site is selected. Early inclusion of green measures helps them become integral to the overall performance and function of the space, and improves the chance that they will remain intact in the final product.

It’s especially important to involve all stakeholders in the process to allow participants to raise their objections and concerns, work collectively to find potential solutions, and experience the enthusiasm of others.

In the case of Punahou, Overton says the insight of his board members gives him an advantage. “When you look at the life cycle costs of a building, the improved learning environments, and the corresponding lessons and examples being taught, my board understands that you can’t afford not to do this.”