DLR Group and the Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) at Colorado State University have collaborated on a research project to evaluate the effect of green school design on occupants and long-term building performance. IBE recently published the research report titled, "Linking Performance & Experience – An Analysis of Green Schools."
The findings show schools designed by DLR Group are more energy efficient, provide more space per student, and are constructed for less cost compared to regional averages for schools constructed during the same year. The overwhelming perception of school staff is that the learning environments within DLR Group green schools have a positive impact on health, achievement, and behavior.
“Design does not stop when the school opens," said DLR Group Senior Principal Jim French, AIA, who leads the firm’s K-12 practice. "The design process must include coming back to a project to measure building performance. If both the tangible metrics of energy efficiency and the intangible metrics of student and occupant satisfaction are not being evaluated, then as design professionals we are not truly meeting the needs of our K-12 clients and the communities they serve.”
The IBE researched 12 schools in eight states offering preschool through 8th grade instruction. IBE evaluated P-8 schools because these facilities offer a more controlled and consistent operational environment for study. For the purposes of the study, the schools in the research sample were third party certified or align with criteria for certification as sustainable buildings, and were in operation for at least 12 months.
The key findings include:
- A motivator to improve student health was only mentioned by a handful of respondents. However, when asked specifically about student health, 87% of respondents reported that they perceived a positive impact on student health, with most respondents specifically describing the positive impact of daylighting.
- 85% of respondents reported that their health and productivity were positively affected by the building.
- 71% of respondents perceived that the building has a positive effect on student achievement
- 71% perceived a positive effect on student behavior. For those that who did not share this perspective, many stated that it is very hard for them to identify the effect because of the many other variables which influence student achievement and behavior.
- Green building practices did not necessarily result in higher first costs. Out of the 10 sites in this sample, six were built for below the regional median cost for schools built in the same year, while four were built for costs greater than the regional median.
- The sample mean Energy Star score was 81, which indicates that the buildings are operating in the top 19th percentile. Nine out of the eleven building evaluated for Energy Star have a score over 75 and would receive the Energy Star award.
- Eight schools are operating at or better than the 2030 Challenge 50% reduction target. In addition, by organizing the schools by the year constructed, it is clear that over time the buildings' design has become increasingly more efficient.
Download the DLR Group/CSU high-performance schools study (PDF).
Related Stories
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
| Oct 13, 2010
Test run on the HP Z200 SFF Good Value in a Small Package
Contributing Editor Jeff Yoders tests a new small-form factor, workstation-class desktop in Hewlett-Packard’s line that combines performance of its minitower machine with a smaller chassis and a lower price.
| Oct 13, 2010
Prefab Trailblazer
The $137 million, 12-story, 500,000-sf Miami Valley Hospital cardiac center, Dayton, Ohio, is the first major hospital project in the U.S. to have made extensive use of prefabricated components in its design and construction.
| Oct 13, 2010
Thought Leader
Sundra L. Ryce, President and CEO of SLR Contracting & Service Company, Buffalo, N.Y., talks about her firm’s success in new construction, renovation, CM, and design-build projects for the Navy, Air Force, and Buffalo Public Schools.
| Oct 13, 2010
Hospital tower gets modern makeover
The Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., expanded its D unit, a project that includes a 243,443-sf addition with a 12-room operating suite, a 36-bed intensive care unit, and an enlarged emergency department.