evolveEA » Green Schools
Get the Flash Player to see the slideshow.

Green Schools

The US Green Building Council decided in 2002 that K-12 schools are a specific building type more critical than other environments.  We agree with this thinking.  If indices of materials safety in the US are commonly calibrated to healthy 30 year old males, what does this mean to an eight year old child or a kindergartener?  The LEED for Schools Rating System has emerged as a best practices document and, as of April 2007, is mandatory for the LEED certification of any K-12 schools.  With LEEED 2009 now, LEED for Schools is not a distinct rating system, but its requirements are explicitly stated, maintaining the specific requirements for exemplary greening of K-12 schools.
Why green schools? Lessons we’ve learned from our various K-12 projects include:
Healthy interiors are critical.  Children are more sensitive to indoor pollutants.  As the standard of care for the utilization of marginal materials, e.g. those that are commonly acceptable but are known to cause health risks increases, so should your strategy avoid or at least minimize the use of these materials.
Acoustics must be considered.  Noisy environments may be annoying and distracting to us, but for children the effect is magnified.  Care must be given to create appropriately absorptive environments that are conducive to focus and concentration.
Daylighting is an essential component of healthy interiors.  The ability for skylights to let in daylight and for windows to give us views both reassure and calm.  Well rendered lighting coming from more than one direction leads to more concentration and less eye strain.  Tests show significant test performance improvement in both math and verbal scores in daylit environments.
Design for bicycle riding.  The area for storage of bicycles and access to it should be ample and central, not a left over afterthought.  With childhood obesity on the rise, bicycle riding should be encouraged for children to develop lifelong fitness habits.
Financial reimbursements.  Many states have financial incentives for the achievement of LEED certification for schools.  Pennsylvania’s Plancon reimbursement system has a per-student financial reimbursement once LEED for Silver or above is achieved.  We have found that this reimbursement can more than offset the cost of the entire LEED intervention.
Educational opportunities.  The inclusion of green strategies in any project serves double duty – the direct benefit and the opportunity for outreach.  This is especially so in schools, where any strategy, especially the visible ones, can be an opportunity to teach a concept.  evolveEA has designed brochures, tours, in-situ signage and outreach programs to great success.
Promotion.  While LEED is not the only path to green, a LEED certification does stand as an irrefutable brand indicating achievement of a green project.  We have seen team members often to lecture about and describe their projects to a larger audience, typically other school districts.  Having a green school certainly helps attract and retain faculty and students.
Selected K-12 projects in which evolveEA has played a significant role:
Rowe Hall at Shady Side Academy.  Pittsburgh, PA.  Private high school.  35,000sf educational and administrative building.  $6 million project.  LEED Gold Certified 2006.  evolveEA provided green building consulting, managed the LEED certification, designed the landscape and drainage, and designed the environmental graphics (signage, tours, brochures) to promote the project’s green features.  evolveEA hopes to now work with Shady Side Academy to look back and evaluate actual building performance.
A.L. Wilson Elementary School.  Fairchance, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  44,000sf.  $7 million project.  LEED for Schools Silver Certification (pending).  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and managed the LEED certification.
Middle Division at Milton Hershey Schools.  Hershey, PA.  Private 5-8 middle school.  ___sf $____ project.  Provided preliminary green visioning and consulting for the permanent housing of students.
First District Elementary School.  Meadville, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  ____sf.  $____ project.  LEED for Schools Certification pending.  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and is managing the LEED certification.
Second District Elementary School.  Meadville, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  ____sf.  $_____ project.  LEED for Schools Certification pending.  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and is managing the LEED certification.
Uniontown High School, Uniontown, PA.  Public 9-12 high school. ____sf.  $____ project. Provided preliminary green visioning and consulting for a renovation/expansion project.

The US Green Building Council decided in 2002 that K-12 schools are a specific building type more critical than other environments.  We agree with this thinking.  If indices of materials safety in the US are commonly calibrated to healthy 30 year old males, what does this mean to an eight year old child or a kindergartener?  The LEED for Schools Rating System has emerged as a best practices document and, as of April 2007, is mandatory for the LEED certification of any K-12 schools.  With LEEED 2009 now, LEED for Schools is not a distinct rating system, but its requirements are explicitly stated, maintaining the specific requirements for exemplary greening of K-12 schools.

Why green schools? Lessons we’ve learned from our various K-12 projects include:

Healthy interiors are critical. Children are more sensitive to indoor pollutants.  As the standard of care for the utilization of marginal materials, e.g. those that are commonly acceptable but are known to cause health risks increases, so should your strategy avoid or at least minimize the use of these materials.

Acoustics must be considered. Noisy environments may be annoying and distracting to us, but for children the effect is magnified.  Care must be given to create appropriately absorptive environments that are conducive to focus and concentration.

Daylighting is an essential component of healthy interiors. The ability for skylights to let in daylight and for windows to give us views both reassure and calm.  Well rendered lighting coming from more than one direction leads to more concentration and less eye strain.  Tests show significant test performance improvement in both math and verbal scores in daylit environments.

Design for bicycle riding. The area for storage of bicycles and access to it should be ample and central, not a left over afterthought.  With childhood obesity on the rise, bicycle riding should be encouraged for children to develop lifelong fitness habits.

Financial reimbursements. Many states have financial incentives for the achievement of LEED certification for schools.  Pennsylvania’s Plancon reimbursement system has a per-student financial reimbursement once LEED for Silver or above is achieved.  We have found that this reimbursement can more than offset the cost of the entire LEED intervention.

Educational opportunities.  The inclusion of green strategies in any project serves double duty – the direct benefit and the opportunity for outreach.  This is especially so in schools, where any strategy, especially the visible ones, can be an opportunity to teach a concept.  evolveEA has designed brochures, tours, in-situ signage and outreach programs to great success.

Promotion. While LEED is not the only path to green, a LEED certification does stand as an irrefutable brand indicating achievement of a green project.  We have seen team members often to lecture about and describe their projects to a larger audience, typically other school districts.  Having a green school certainly helps attract and retain faculty and students.

Selected K-12 projects in which evolveEA has played a significant role:

Rowe Hall at Shady Side Academy.  Pittsburgh, PA.  Private high school.  35,000sf educational and administrative building.  $6 million project.  LEED Gold Certified 2006.  evolveEA provided green building consulting, managed the LEED certification, designed the landscape and drainage, and designed the environmental graphics (signage, tours, brochures) to promote the project’s green features.  evolveEA hopes to now work with Shady Side Academy to look back and evaluate actual building performance.

A.L. Wilson Elementary School.  Fairchance, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  44,000sf.  $7 million project.  LEED for Schools Silver Certification (pending).  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and managed the LEED certification.

Middle Division at Milton Hershey Schools.  Hershey, PA.  Private 5-8 middle school.  ___sf $____ project.  Provided preliminary green visioning and consulting for the permanent housing of students.

First District Elementary School.  Meadville, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  ____sf.  $____ project.  LEED for Schools Certification pending.  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and is managing the LEED certification.

Second District Elementary School.  Meadville, PA.  Public K-5 elementary school.  ____sf.  $_____ project.  LEED for Schools Certification pending.  evolveEA provided green building consulting and visioning to the project and is managing the LEED certification.

Uniontown High School, Uniontown, PA.  Public 9-12 high school. ____sf.  $____ project. Provided preliminary green visioning and consulting for a renovation/expansion project.

←