As the race to see who can create the greenest school continues, School Construction News spoke with Jason Chmura, AIA, LEED AP, an associate at Princeton, N.J.-headquartered KSS Architects, about his work as a leader of the firm’s Sustainability Design Practice Group. In a slew of recent projects, Chmura pushed for advancements in building performance, equipment, and energy use in both K-12 and higher education projects. Here he discusses current trends and advantages to building green.

Q: What sustainable educational facility projects are you currently working on?

Chmura: We recently completed a facility for the Gottesman RTW Academy in Randolph. The project featured site-harvested stone, sunshades, photovoltaic panels and rain gardens. It features a number of monitoring systems that help frame the curriculum for Pre-K-8 students. We have a grand opening for Rutgers University’s Express Newark facility in Newark, N.J., next week, which is a 43,000-square-foot reuse of a 100-plus-year-old department store in downtown Newark. The project is significant as to its social sustainability, whereupon the symbiotic uses of the building as commercial, educational and residential will contribute to its long-term success and reactivation of the neighborhood.

We also wrapped up a 120,000-square-foot charter school for KIPP New Jersey also in Newark this September, which implemented a substantial energy recovery system as part of the HVAC design. This had immense cost savings for the project in addition to contributing to the efficiency of the building. There were savings both to the mechanical and plumbing systems as a result, but also the structural system(s) as we significantly decreased the sizes of the rooftop units.

Currently, I am overseeing the rehab of a 100-year-old former trolley barn to serve as a new gymnasium, which again reuses an existing, aging structure to provide new facilities for a school. The project features porous (pervious concrete) for stormwater control and a (Kalwall) panelized insulated glazing system.

Q: How do these projects reflect the national trend of building educational facilities to be more environmentally sustainable?

Chmura: If I had to speak to a trend, I would note the increase in the reuse of existing structures, especially in an urban environment. A component of the LEED rating system since its inception, building reuse is an often-overlooked attribute with huge potential. Not only are you decreasing (eliminating) landfill waste, you stand to reinvigorate and activate sites and buildings that may be standing vacant. Further, many of our clients are actually looking beyond the cost savings — which are often in favor of new construction — to find sites that will both benefit from development and help support the mission of the school.

Q: What key advantages do schools have when they are built to sustainable standards?

Chmura: When the standards are implemented to prescribe occupant comfort or wellness, it’s a no-brainer. There are plenty of studies that link student participation, faculty performance and overall achievement with healthy learning environments. Additionally, when the design and technology that are part of sustainable design are analyzed and become part of the curriculum, it has an effect on the students like nothing else.

Q: What are the top three sustainable-building recommendations you have for schools that want to be more efficient on a budget?

Chmura: Integrate daylight harvesting and energy recovery systems, and use salvaged or reused materials.

Q: What do you believe is the future of sustainable educational facility projects?

Chmura: The most successful educational facilities will rely on heavy incorporation of high-performance technology into their curriculum. The next generation of students will continue to crave hands-on learning experiences. Sustainable design will become a necessity, and young minds will thrive in an environment where they are fully immersed in their own laboratory throughout the day.

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The $26.5 million project expands upon the network, offering a newer, less conservative design. Not only did KIPP:NJ want more classroom space, but it also wanted more public space and a strong emphasis on athletics — with an athletic field and a gymnasium incorporated, as well as space for students to practice mind and body wellness.

Boonton, N.J.-based Phelps Construction Group started construction of the school in September 2015. The firm provided pre-construction, construction management and design-build services, with Princeton, N.J.-based KSS Architects serving as the architect. The new facility features classrooms, science rooms, a performing arts area, a library and a full-service kitchen. Its gymnasium, cafeteria and turf field are also available to students as well as to the local community during off hours.

“The school made strategic decisions to make more ‘net-to-grow’ space that can be used for much more purposes that the students really benefit from,” said Merilee Meacock, AIA, LEED AP, partner for KSS Architects.

Double the Population

The school was originally designed as a three-story building with an adjacent gym, but KIPP:NJ decided to double its population to allow more students to benefit from its two rare amenities for urban schools: an athletic field and parking. As such, KSS Architects and Phelps Construction Group worked together to find a cost-effective way to add an additional two floors for future classroom space over the proposed gymnasium.

The final design includes a long four-story building, which features residential-sized windows in order to work with the scale of neighboring buildings. The building is split into two wings — one containing a cafeteria, office space and library with three levels of classrooms above, and the other containing the two-story gymnasium and two floors of classrooms that have yet to be fitted out.

Sports & Community

Like several urban charter schools within the school district, Newark Collegiate Academy teaches students about healthy eating as well as encourages yoga and meditation. “A lot of charter schools try to support the family not just the students,” said Meacock. “This particular school was very focused on athletics.”

Before building the collegiate academy, however, students had to take a bus to get to athletic facilities, which meant more time in transit and less time on the field. This emphasis on dedicated time for athletics and wellness became a major focus for the facility and yet another opportunity for community engagement.

Technology & Efficiencies

For this project, Phelps said that the project team saw a lot of emphasis on well-equipped science and art classrooms, and even traditional classrooms feature smart boards and other modern teaching technologies. Meacock added that the KIPP:NJ network uses iPads dispersed from iPad carts that can move throughout the facility.

“They’re making [technology and design] decisions that include much more amenities,” Meacock said.

With regard to technology, ample communication and data infrastructure was built into the school, according to Phelps. That includes smart boards and wireless connections for computer use, but also behind-the-scenes mechanical systems and energy recovery units on the roof.

Phelps added that lighting throughout the building is extremely efficient and works in tandem with the building’s unique design. All classroom light fixtures are high-performance recessed 2×4 units, which help eliminate shadows in low-ceiling applications, while the corridor’s linear fixtures play on the building’s unique angles. This concept also carried into the gym where the linear fixtures are suspended from the structure in an angled pattern and are not typical dome fixtures.

With all of the advanced design elements and technologies, the project created a variety of spaces that encourage students to learn outside the confines of traditional education, while also welcoming public involvement. It’s a win-win for both KIPP:NJ and the local community.

Read more about the Newark Collegiate Academy project in the November/December issue of School Construction News, now available.

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