VA Becomes Twelfth State to Adopt CHPS Criteria
SAN FRANCISCO — The Collaborative for High Performance Schools released a new high performance school building benchmark system for use in Virginia, making it the twelfth state in the country to adopt the system.
The program applies to the design and construction of new schools, major modernization and addition projects.
"As the largest school district in Virginia, and the eleventh largest school district in the U.S., Fairfax County Public Schools can have a huge impact by deciding to embrace high performance schools," said Steve Nicholson, coordinator of Technical Support and Sustainable Design at Fairfax County Public Schools’ Office of Design & Construction.
"I think the Virginia CHPS Criteria is a reflection of the priorities and mission of Virginia school districts, and it provides a tool to help us move closer to the goal of putting every Virginia K-12 student in a high performance school."
The criteria for the system were put together by a multi-disciplinary advisory committee led by Fairfax County Public Schools in partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools, taking into account state codes and regulations, climates, opportunities and local priorities.
Schools that pursue recognition using the system receive resources and guidance from the collaborative throughout the design and construction process, and in some states, has helped districts receive funding from utilities or state grants.
The development of Virginia’s set of criteria also marks the first time a state has used the Collaborative’s new “Core Criteria” to design a high performance building rating system, which reflect three major priorities of improving health and student performance, reducing operating costs and mitigating environmental impacts.
States then use the Core Criteria to build in state priorities, local climate and code issues and other regional variations that make each state’s rating system unique, according to officials from the collaborative.
“It took a mere six months to develop Virginia CHPS, which really showcases our new streamlined process for bringing new states onboard with CHPS,” said Chip Fox, chair of the CHPS Board of Directors, and New Construction Manager at Sempra Utilities. “We are happy to welcome Virginia into the CHPS family.”
The system address the changing nature of school design and construction in the state, with a credit for Building Information Modeling to acknowledge how technology can be used to reduce wasteful construction mistakes in the design phase, according to officials.
Greater incentives will be provided for energy management systems because they are not prevalent in use in the state.
Existing local resources such as acoustic guidelines and storm-water management are included in the new criteria.
The committee also used the point distribution to incorporate environmental priorities in Virginia.
“The CHPS program’s focus on energy efficiency, energy conservation and resource management was right on target with Loudoun County Public Schools’ goals and made participation worthwhile for us,” said Kevin Lewis, director of Construction Services of Loudoun County Public Schools. “VA-CHPS provides an appropriate, easy-to-understand vehicle for any Virginia district interested in maintaining or improving their sustainability program.”