Lighting System Help Prestigious School to Capture Environmental Awards

When Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., upgraded its Middle School building, the administration decided that, in order to live up to the school’s Quaker ideal of environmental stewardship, the building would have to be transformed into a LEED Platinum-certified facility. Sidwell became the first secondary school anywhere to attain that rating because of a host of sustainable design features, including the EcoSystem lighting control solution from Lutron. It was also named one of the AIA’s Top Ten Green Projects for 2007.

This double honor caps a 16-month, $21 million dollar project that combined new construction with renovation of the existing structure. In addition to EcoSystem, the project combined a wide variety of other interior and exterior sustainable design features, including a constructed wetland, solar chimneys, and a vegetated roof.

The school’s administration reports that, with EcoSystem in place, the building’s lighting energy consumption has been cut by 92 percent, and overall energy use has been reduced by 55 percent.

“Sidwell Friends School wanted a building that set a new standard for environmental responsibility and, in order to give them that, we needed the most advanced lighting system available,” said Stephen Kieran, principal of the architectural firm KieranTimberlake Associates LLP.

EcoSystem was chosen, not only for its energy efficiency capabilities, but because it improves the learning environment in the classroom. The school’s facility manager, Steve Sawyer, said the lighting system’s personal control flexibility has been a big selling point for teachers.

For more information on how Lutron’s EcoSystem may contribute to energy savings in schools, visit www.lutron.com/energy or circle Reader Service No. 166.

Energy-Efficient Fan Cools Off Football Teams

At Coppell and McKinney High Schools, the football teams are gearing up for spring training by beating the Texas heat with Big Ass Fans. Of the weight machines and training devices that fill both teams’ state-of-the-art indoor practice facilities, the most valuable pieces of equipment are the two 24-foot diameter Big Ass Fans that spin slowly overhead.

Big Ass Fans has helped both schools make their weight training areas usable spaces during the hottest months of the year by creating a gentle, even breeze over the entire area. Coppell Football’s Defensive Line and Strength Training Coach, Eric Jones, uses the giant ceiling-mounted fans to keep the weight-training area feeling around 12 degrees cooler.

“The fans keep everyone more comfortable. That encourages our athletes to train harder. We run them non-stop when Texas starts to heat up. They are a huge help to our program,” explained Jones.

McKinney’s A.J. Uland, the purchasing manager for the team, knew the investment in the fans was an investment in student athletes’ safety. With temperatures in Texas already in the 80s, young athletes are at an increased risk for heat-related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

“Having an indoor facility was the first step to keep our athletes safe and cool. The Big Ass Fans were the next. The breeze generated by the fans moves across our athletes’ skin as they train, creating a wind-chill effect. The players stay comfortable and safe,” confirmed Uland.

Big Ass Fans use their immense size, not speed, to create the cooling breeze. A single 24-foot Powerfoil model can keep an area as big as 20,000 square feet feeling comfortably cool. The slow speed has another added benefit: energy efficiency.

For more information on how these fans may contribute to the comfort and efficiency in green schools, visit www.bigassfans.com or circle Reader Service No. 167.

New Middle School Opens with Garden Roof Classroom

The green roof atop the Latin School’s new middle school building is drawing rave reviews from students, parents, educators and environmentalists. The independent, coeducational day school, located on the Near North Side of Chicago, opened the doors of its new 80,000-square-foot middle school building this fall.

The 5,500-square-foot green roof combines a high-performance waterproof membrane, insulation and drainage/moisture retention elements, which are all part of a total Garden Roof Assembly, a lightweight green roof technology supplied by American Hydrotech, Inc. The green roof is accessible to students and faculty as a learning environment, providing a rooftop classroom with a spectacular view of the nearby park and lakefront.

“The plantings will be fully established in about a year, and I’m excited to see what the classes can fully do with it,” Deb Sampey, the middle school director, says. “Its first connection with the curriculum will probably be with our 8th grade and high school astronomy classes. But classes might also come up here for creative writing projects and just sit in this space and be inspired on a beautiful day.”

The Latin School’s new green roof, in addition to its aesthetic qualities, offers multiple environmental benefits. Plants on the roof work to keep the structure’s temperature down, save on heating and cooling costs, reduce stormwater runoff, extend the useful life of the roof, and reduce the urban heat island effect.

In addition to the green roof, the building provides significant green space, including private gardens on the ground level. Recycled materials were used throughout the building when feasible, and specially-treated windows and sunshades have been installed to reduce the building’s use of natural resources to heat and cool the facility.

For more information on how American Hydrotech, Inc.’s green roofing systems may contribute to schools, visit www.hydrotechusa.com or circle Reader Service No. 168.

Carpet Makes the Honor Roll for More Than 30 Years

Carpet selected for an elementary school must deliver excellent durability and be easy to maintain while preserving aesthetic appeal. The carpet installed in Lynn Road Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C., proved to be such carpet. No one would guess that the carpet in the media center would be a testament to sustainable design more than 30 years after it was specified. The carpet, constructed of Antron carpet fiber, looks nearly as vibrant as it did when installed in 1976 due to its ability to withstand foot traffic, spills and stains.

“The media center serves as a gateway to other areas in our facility,” said Denise W. Drawbaugh, assistant principal for Lynn Road Elementary School. “We have several hundred students and staff in this building for nine months out of the year. This gives you some idea of what the carpet endures, and it continues to look great.”

The facility managers practice a strict maintenance program. Carpets are routinely cleaned by the staff twice a year using a hot-water extraction method, and spills are quickly reported and addressed.

“I would give this carpet’s performance an A-plus,” said Drawbaugh. “The way it has held up over the years is outstanding.”

For more information on how Antron carpet fiber may contribute to the long-term sustainability of schools, visit www.antron.net or circle Reader Service No. 169.