The non-profit Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) recently launched an effort to develop industry-backed best practices for school modernization projects.
The Minor Renovations Program aims to fill a void of guiding criteria for school districts to use to ensure improvements meet a high-performance threshold. CHPS is assembling a coalition of interdisciplinary experts in design, performance, student health and wellness, technology, and products, along with school district leaders to:
- Develop best practices that underpin new design criteria
- Pilot improvements at schools to demonstrate their effectiveness
- Develop and demonstrate financing solutions that show how allocated funds can be more effectively used for better performance outcomes
- Create and grow a community of support for schools
Two of the country’s largest school districts, Los Angeles Unified and the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Harris County, Texas), will participate in the program at the outset, and more districts are expected to join in the future.
“It’s estimated that 53% of America’s public schools need to invest in repairs, renovations, and modernizations, yet upgrades are not getting done at the rate or scale needed to provide safe and productive learning environments for students,” according to a CHPS news release. “Although smaller renovation projects represent the majority of districts’ facility expenditures, a set of industry-aligned best practices does not exist to enable effective planning and implementation.”
Related Stories
| Mar 14, 2013
25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.
| Feb 6, 2013
Arcadia (Calif.) High School opens $20 million performing arts center
A 60-year old wish for the community of Arcadia has finally come true with the opening of Arcadia Unified School District’s new $20 million Performing Arts Center.
| Feb 5, 2013
8 eye-popping wood building projects
From 100-foot roof spans to novel reclaimed wood installations, the winners of the 2013 National Wood Design Awards push the envelope in wood design.
| Dec 9, 2012
Greenzone pop quiz
Greenbuild attendees share their thoughts with BD+C on the SAGE modular classroom.
| Dec 9, 2012
Modular classroom building makes the grade
SAGE modular classroom opens eyes, minds at Greenbuild 2012.
| Dec 9, 2012
AEC professionals cautiously optimistic about commercial construction in ’13
Most economists say the U.S. is slowly emerging from the Great Recession, a view that was confirmed to some extent by an exclusive survey of 498 BD+C subscribers whose views we sought on the commercial construction industry’s outlook on business prospects for 2013.
| Nov 19, 2012
Modular and Site-Built Construction Combine to Accelerate School Delivery
In Pingree Grove, Ill., DRH Cambridge Homes selects modular construction for the creation of the Cambridge Lakes Learning Center, home of a new charter school for the village community's growing student population.
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: K-12
High-performance schools put ‘sustainability’ in the lesson plan
