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Dining Hall Renovation Lands LEED Silver

ANDOVER, Mass. — Phillips Academy, a residential secondary school, earned LEED Silver certification for the renovation of its 80-year-old dining hall, Paresky Commons.

Renovated over the course of 15 months, the Academy reused and recycled more than 90 percent of all construction debris and installed several energy-saving devices.

The dining hall’s food waste pulper-extractor system dehydrated and compacted more than 97 tons of organic matter for composting last year, which school officials say led to a 47 percent decrease in the academy’s incinerated waste in the last three years.

Paresky commons, which reopened in 2009, is the largest single energy consumer on campus, serving an average of 3,300 meals per day to approximately 1,100 students, 225 faculty and family members and 350 staff, according to the academy.

Further renovations of the 42,480-square-foot facility include a hood exhaust system that consumes roughly 50 percent less energy than conventional models, and new water and energy saving equipment, including enhanced electrical systems and high-efficiency insulation.

The cafeteria also implemented a number of operational changes to reduce its carbon footprint, according Paul Robarge, Paresky senior food services director.

The use of “trayless” dining resulted in a 100-lbs.-per-day reduction in food waste, as well as a significant reduction in water use.

Aggressive compacting and recycling of all cardboard, paper and plastic products, resulted in an about 1,000 pounds of cardboard alone being recycled each week, the school reports.

The dining hall also recycled all vegetable oil, 100 percnet compostable dishes when china or melamine is not an option, and only environmentally friendly cleaning products.

The cafeteria’s menu also aims to use locally grown, hormone free and certified organic foods.

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LEED Silver in Kansas

OLATHE, Kan. — The new $10.5 million Woodland Elementary School was awarded LEED Silver certification, making it the first educational facility in the state to achieve that environmental designation.

The 500-student, 73,000-square-foot school was designed by Hollis and Miller Architects of Overland. Universal Construction Co. Inc. of Overland Park built the project.

LEED certification was achieved through the use of recycled materials during construction, and more than 37 percent of construction materials were harvested or manufactured within 500 miles of the project site.

In addition, 75 percent of construction waste was diverted away from landfills through recycling strategies.

Low-flow fixtures, low-maintenance vegetation and a lighting system utilizing classroom occupancy sensors and controls that allow for different levels of lighting were included in the project.

Hollis and Miller Architects estimates that water usage will be reduced 29.5 percent with low-flow technology and minimal irrigation plants. Additionally, school officials will use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and purchase some of their operational energy from green sources through the utility companies.

Hollis and Miller Architects is in the process of creating an educational area in the school where the LEED certification plaque will be mounted and a graphical mural will explain the building’s green features.

“We think it’s important to display to students and the public the green and LEED features of the school, highlighting the environmental friendliness of the building in the process,” says John Southard, Hollis and Miller Architects’ partner-in-charge on the project. “If we can incorporate some teaching elements into the program and they’re using the facility as an example, then that’s just par for the course.”

Woodland Elementary School was built using an existing prototype based on an elementary school that opened in 2007.

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School Damaged by Katrina Reopens

NEW ORLEANS — The recently renovated Joseph A. Craig Elementary School opened for classes in January for the first time since 2007.

In addition, a solar panel that provides 25kW of electricity donated by Entergy New Orleans stands in the school‘s playground and can be raised up to 10 and a half feet.

The 500-student elementary school built circa 1925 is located in the historic Treme neighborhood near the French Quarter. It had severe mold and termite damage due to its age and flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.

After the hurricane, the school was one of the first in the Recovery School District to reopen, but mold and termite damage and asbestos prevented the school district from keeping it open.

In 2007, students were again displaced as the school‘s structure was repaired, mold was abated and the interior of the building was updated with 21st-century features. Classes were moved to modular units several miles away until the three-story building was reopened a second time.

New Orleans-based SCNZ Architects led the design of the $14 million renovation project, while Metairie-headquartered Ryan Gootee General Contractors LLC provided general contracting services.

Phase one of the project included remediation of asbestos, lead and mold and the removal of interior finishes and termite and water-
damaged wood. If you are having trouble with something like termites in your home, then don’t worry. This problem is easily fixed. All you have to do is call up someone like termite control los angeles to help you with your problem. In addition, ventilator units and two-pipe cooling systems, electrical panels, windows, doors and cabinets were all removed or salvaged.

Phase two involved renovations of the 64,000-square-foot school and the addition of a 3,000-square-foot kitchen facility, the installation of a solar panel array and the construction of new entry canopies.

“It was a challenge to shoehorn a lot of the modern features into a 1920s building,“ says Richard Choate, a principal at SCNZ Architects.

Though the Craig building includes the latest in school technology, computer stations, and a new playground, each of the classrooms contains old casework from the original building — reminders of what the interior used to look like.

The school was designed for LEED Silver certification, but administrators decided not to pursue the designation. Green features of the renovated school include high-efficiency mechanical and energy management systems, insulated windows and doors, pervious concrete, low-VOC paints, and other items. In addition, the solar panel, which was donated by Entergy New Orleans, stands in the school‘s playground and can be raised up to 10 and a half feet.

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DeKalb County Expected to LEED The Way for Georgia Schools

ATLANTA — The DeKalb County School System started construction of a new high school that is expected to achieve LEED silver certification and set new building standards for the district and the state.

Arabia Mountain High School, scheduled to open in January 2009, will be the first LEED-certified public school in the state of Georgia, according to reports.

Designed by architectural firm Perkins+Will, the school will combine green design with an environmentally focused curriculum to reduce the building’s impact on its surroundings, while educating students and staff about sustainability.

The school is located in Arabia Mountain Heritage Area, a 2,000-acre preserve with wetlands, granite outcroppings, pine and oak forests, streams, and a lake. The facility will establish a visual and physical connection to the preserve with walls of glass that will offer views of Arabia Mountain and the surrounding forestland, and biking and walking paths that connect to trails inside the preserve.

To reduce the campus’ environmental impact, construction materials will be 10 percent to 20 percent recycled, and construction waste will be sorted and recycled. Emissions and transportation costs will also be reduced by obtaining materials that have been processed and manufactured within 500 miles of the school site, including stone, brick, concrete and steel.

Other features will include low-flow plumbing fixtures, waterless urinals, sink sensors and dual-flush valves for toilets. Water will also be conserved outside the facility through the use of native landscaping and bio-swales with natural plantings to filter and clean water runoff from areas, such as the parking lot, before returning it to the stream system.

Energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning systems will also help reduce energy costs for the school, along with abundant daylighting in classrooms, which officials expect will improve student health and academic performance and reduce absenteeism.

Students at Arabia Mountain High will participate in the state’s first extended environment focus program, a hands-on curriculum that will incorporate the school and the mountain preserve to teach sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Construction is scheduled for completion in fall 2008. Turner Construction is overseeing construction of the project.

Taking cue from its surroundings, the facility will be constructed of 10 percent to 20 percent recycled materials, from concrete to steel framing, and will include water-efficient features, such as low-flow fixtures for sinks, showers and water fountains, and dual-flush valves for toilets.

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