1. Integrate Wind Energy
Rural elementary and secondary schools in some states may want to consider participating in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind for Schools project. Wind for Schools provides project consultants to help establish small wind turbine installations at rural elementary and secondary schools, and then supports the installation with teacher training and hands-on curricula.

Wind for Schools also has the joint benefit of training higher education students to serve as its project consultants. Balancing education and sustainability, Wind for Schools’ specific goals are to equip college juniors and seniors with an education in wind energy applications; to engage communities in wind energy applications, benefits and challenges; and to introduce both teachers and students to wind energy.

Currently the program is only available to schools in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Virginia. However, more than 145 wind turbines — primarily 2.4-kilowatt turbines on 70-foot guyed or 60-foot monopole towers — have already been installed throughout participating states. Participating schools can also monitor kilowatt-hours produced, utility dollars saved and average kilowatt-hours used per month and per year via the Wind for Schools online portal.
More information is available at The U.S. Department of Energy website, www.energy.gov.

2. Join the USGBC — For Free
In September 2015, the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools invited K-12 schools and school districts to take advantage of one free year of membership.

Understanding the unique financial and sustainability challenges and needs faced by K-12 schools and districts, the Center for Green Schools is committed to supporting green school efforts, according to the organization’s website. In addition to all the member benefits associated with a school or district’s USGBC organizational membership, the Center for Green Schools also offers additional support and resources for schools and school districts, including an invitation and scholarship eligibility to the organization’s annual School Sustainability Leaders Summit; complementary registrations and reduced membership rates for the Center for Green School’s Green Classroom Certificate program; access to resources such as the Paid from Savings Guide to Green Existing Buildings, the online Existing Schools Toolkit and regular webcasts for school staff and leadership; eligibility to submit content to be featured on the Center for Green Schools blog; and the Monthly Center for Green Schools digest.

Schools and school districts can sign up for a free year of USGBC membership at www.centerforgreenschools.org.

3. Pick the Right Site
While schools and universities may not have limitless options when it comes to site selection for a new project, renovation or expansion, selecting the right site can result in both long-term cost savings and environmental benefits.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers a comprehensive, free-to- use school siting guidelines document that helps schools and universities make the best use of often-scarce resources by deciding whether to renovate an existing school, build a new school on a current site, or build a new facility on a new site. It can also guide school and university leaders through decisions related to acquiring land for school facilities, using legacy properties or leasing space; and renovating or reusing existing properties and structures.

The guidelines are specifically intended to help officials make efficient use of energy, avoid costly and dangerous student exposure to pollution and hazardous substances, locate schools near public transportation and potentially design school facilities to double as emergency shelters.

The guidelines outline financial considerations for school siting, such as the cost for mitigating or reducing environmental risks and long-term stewardship of remediation measures. Further, they give specific information regarding high performance and green schools with energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, safe materials and reduced environmental impact goals. They also lead officials carefully through the environmental review process, evaluating the impact of air pollution, and a variety of environmental threats such as mold, chemicals, pesticides, polluted soils and historic fill.

The School Siting Guidelines document is available on the EPA website, www.epa.gov.

Learn more in the July/August issue of School Construction News, available soon.
 

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The HHB was built to accommodate the student enrollment increase that caused the university’s School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences to outgrow their separate facilities. The new building brings both schools together in a collaborative environment and is the first to be constructed as part of the university’s proposed Health Quadrant Campus Master Plan.

Designed by SmithGroupJJR (with offices in Detroit), the 160,260-square-foot building houses advanced classrooms and hands-on instructional spaces for students to learn in an environment that replicates that of a hospital or community health center. A public clinic, simulation labs, clinical and physical therapy labs are available to students.

The building was built on the former site of a parking lot and an untended natural wetland. Because it was being created for health sciences students, the university wanted the structure to incorporate healthy building practices.

“Environmentally friendly buildings have show to have positive effects on the quality of their occupants’ health, so it was easy for the university to decide that the new Human Health Building should be highly sustainable,” said Chris Purdy, AIA, LEED AP, Smith GroupJJR principle-in-charge for the project, in a statement.

The facility’s energy systems cut energy costs by an estimated 35 percent annually compared to the LEED baseline building. A geothermal field consisting of 340 wells was built 320 feet below the university’s main parking lot and uses the earth to provide energy for heat pumps that heat and cool the building. The 117 vacuum tube solar thermal panels also provide heat for the building in the wintertime, as well as provide the desiccant dehumidification system in the summertime and domestic water heating throughout the year. Plus, four, 25,000-gallon underground takes store excess solar generated hot water until it’s needed. The building also features a rooftop photovoltaic system that consists of more than 200 solar panels, which provide 45 kilowatts or 3 percent of the building’s power.

The building’s design focuses on sustainability, too. For instance, a porch created by the overhang of the upper floors protects faculty offices from solar heat gain. Exterior offices feature vertical sunshades and fritted glass that reduce glare and also cut down on outside heat. Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in a below-grade cistern to be used for site irrigation.

The building’s interior features an elongated floor plan that includes floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for natural light and expansive views of outdoor spaces. The materials used in the design such as sealed cork floors and bamboo cabinets are recycled, regional and low-VOC. The walls are also made with insulated cinderblock to reduce energy costs. There are daylight and occupant sensors throughout the building to help reduce energy used by occupants.

A 100-year-old oak tree stands on the south side of the building. It was incorporated into the site design instead of being cleared. The site’s natural wetland was also revived with native vegetation to provide an outdoor lounge for students to gather.

About $40 million of the project’s funding came from the state legislature’s Capital Outlay Program. To achieve LEED Platinum on a tight budget, Oakland University, assisted by SmithGroupJJR, also pursued a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“This building was really geared towards the student population. Oakland wanted this building to be for the kids,” said Meredith McLellan, project manager for SmithGroupJJR. “Today’s students are really environmentally conscious, so it was actually something we heard from students as being a priority. When we got the opportunities through the grant, it was really the catalyst that allowed us to reach Platinum. It was really driven by that opportunity.”

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