flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools

Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools

Study evaluated energy performance, occupant health, and student performance


By DLR Group | April 25, 2013

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

| Aug 11, 2010

AIA hires Worthen, Fitzgerald for sustainability, young architects initiatives

As part of an ongoing effort to bolster its education and outreach on sustainability, the American Institute of Architects has hired William J. Worthen, AIA, LEED AP, vice president of Simon & Associates (a green consulting firm) as Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability. The AIA has also hired Kevin A. Fitzgerald, AIA, a former associate with Robert AM Stern Architects, as a staff coordinator/team leader for several AIA committees devoted to young architects.

| Aug 11, 2010

Perkins+Will acquires Canadian firm Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners

Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners of Toronto, Ont., Canada, has been acquired by Perkins+Will, a global integrated design firm headquartered in Chicago. The merger marks Perkins+Will's 19th office in North America and its second in Canada.

| Aug 11, 2010

NBBJ and C.T. Hsu associates join forces for Florida healthcare market

NBBJ has entered into an exclusive alliance agreement with C.T. Hsu + Associates P.A. (CTHA)  to provide world-class design/planning services for Florida's emerging healthcare and science facilities market. The alliance combines NBBJ's international reputation for the design and planning of healthcare and science & research facilities with CTHA's knowledge of community needs and established reputation for planning and design expertise in Central Florida.

| Aug 11, 2010

Minneapolis Public Housing authority, Honeywell launch energy retrofit program

Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell today announced a $33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities job market.

| Aug 11, 2010

Shepley Bulfinch announces merger of Merzproject

National architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Merzproject of Phoenix today announced their merger. The merger unites Shepley Bulfinch, one of the country’s leading design firms, and Merzproject.

| Aug 11, 2010

Skanska Promotes Richard Kennedy to COO for NY/NJ Metro Area

Skanska USA Building Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., has announced that Richard Kennedy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as Senior Vice President – General Counsel. Kennedy’s promotion marks the latest addition to Skanska’s national leadership team.

| Aug 11, 2010

The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community

David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.

| Aug 11, 2010

Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio

Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.

| Aug 11, 2010

George H. Miller, FAIA, inaugurated as 2010 AIA President

George H. Miller, FAIA, partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners LLP, was inaugurated as the 86th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 4th.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021