Five years ago, when the net-zero energy building movement was starting to take hold in the U.S., it was unfathomable to think that budget-stretched school districts would consider investing in the high-performance systems and strategies necessary for achieving net-zero energy performance.
But coming out of the recession, still bruised and battered and in severe belt-tightening mode, school officials are beginning to take note. In the past few years, a number of net-zero or net-zero-ready K-12 school projects—both public and private—have come online. And dozens more are in the works. Rob Winstead, Principal and Director of Sustainability at SHW Group (www.shwgroup.com), estimates the number to be between 35 and 50 NZE or NZE-ready K-12 school projects nationally, with many more in the feasibility stage.
“As the economy begins to improve, we’re hearing more interest from our K-12 clients in exploring net-zero,” says Winstead, who’s firm is designing two NZE-ready schools in Texas: Pflugerville Elementary School in Pflugerville and the Richard J. Lee Elementary School in Dallas.
Why now?
It comes down to being able to predict and control costs, and eliminate volatility in utility costs for the life of the building. Next to staffing, utilities are the biggest budget line item for most schools and one of the few fixed operational costs that can be significantly reduced, or even negated. For that reason, some school officials are looking past the initial sticker shock for NZE strategies (and other measures, like retro-commissioning) and are taking a longer-term view, projecting the savings over time.
The Building Team for the Pflugerville Elementary School includes: SHW Group (architect, SE), CMTA Engineers (MEP), and Balfour Beatty (contractor).
“Our K-12 clients are being asked to provide a higher level of service—whether it’s special programs, testing requirements, or extending the school day—while their budgets are being reduced,” says Winstead. “They realize that every dollar saved on operations and maintenance costs is a dollar that can be spent for other programs.”
Getting ready for net zero
While there are a handful of true NZE schools in the U.S., notably the Living Building-certified Bertschi School Living Building Science Wing in Seattle, the staggeringly high cost of renewable energy systems prevents most school districts from achieving net-zero energy performance. Many of these owners are taking a practical approach, building highly energy-efficient, NZE-ready facilities that can be retrofitted with renewable systems at a later date.
In both of SHW Group’s NZE-ready projects, Winstead says the Building Team pushed for the inclusion of as many renewable systems as the districts could afford in the initial bid package. Having renewables not only supported the curriculum efforts, but gave the school districts skin in the NZE game, so to speak, thereby increasing the odds that they will continue to pursue their original energy goals.
“Many of these projects start out as net-zero, but the renewable systems and many of the high-performance design measures are eventually value engineered out as the budgets are scrutinized,” says Winstead. “K-12 projects are complex, with many stakeholders with different agendas.”
Having a net-zero mindset, says Winstead, changes the entire discussion about the building design and energy-efficiency strategies. All of a sudden, upgrades to the building design are not considered cost premiums, but rather cost avoidances in renewable technology.
At 150,000 sf, the Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, is the nation’s largest net-zero energy school. The school has project-based learning programs based on the facility’s energy and water systems. Four “nodes,” each with multiple digital, interactive displays, focus on solar, wind, geothermal, and water conservation. The Building Team for the Lady Bird Johnson Middle School included Corgan Associates (architect, interior designer), L.A. Fuess Partners (SE), Image Engineering Group (MEP), and Charter Builders (contractor).
“Once you have the net-zero goal firmly established, it’s not about the 20 cents of added cost per square foot for additional roof insulation; it’s about the $4 per watt we’re avoiding on the renewable side,” he says.
The goal, says Winstead, is achieving a building energy use intensity of 20 kBtu/sf/year or better—roughly one-fourth the energy use of the average K-12 building. That’s the threshold where the first cost for renewable systems is within reach for some school clients.
“Even if they delay—or cancel—the renewable purchase, they end up with a building that has a fraction of the utility demand,” he says.
Using net-zero as a teaching tool
Schools are able to further justify the upfront investments for NZE strategies by incorporating the lessons and data from the building systems into the curriculum. In fact, this “living lab” approach is often the “secret sauce” for winning over the many stakeholders on the idea of net-zero.
The 150,000-sf Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, which opened in fall 2011 as the nation’s largest net-zero energy school, has project-based learning programs based on the facility’s energy and water systems. Four “nodes,” each with multiple digital, interactive displays, focus on solar, wind, geothermal, and water conservation.
At the Pflugerville school, a centralized “discovery zone” will house the library, gym, and cafeteria and will feature digital, interactive displays and temporary exhibits demonstrating how the building’s systems and sustainable features are performing. Other projects incorporate small, ground-level photovoltaic installations and exposed infrastructure so students can get up close and interact with the systems.
As more NZE school projects come online over the next five years, the question becomes: Is net-zero energy a more logical approach for school districts than a holistic green building? Some school districts see NZE as a win-win—they get enhanced educational programming while greatly reducing utility expenses.
Related Stories
| May 10, 2011
Google hires Ingenhoven Architects to design new Mountain View office
The current Googleplex is straining at the seams and yet the company is preparing its biggest hiring surge ever, so Google decided now’s the time to build its own office space—a first for the Internet giant. The company hired Ingenhoven Architects, a German firm that specializes in sustainable architecture, to create plans for what could be a 600,000-sf office.
| May 10, 2011
Solar installations on multifamily rooftops aid social change
The Los Angeles Business Council's study on the feasibility of installing solar panels on the city’s multifamily buildings shows there's tremendous rooftop capacity, and that a significant portion of that rooftop capacity comes from buildings in economically depressed neighborhoods. Solar installations could therefore be used to create jobs, lower utility costs, and improve conditions for residents in these neighborhood.
| May 10, 2011
Dinner is now served…atop the Lincoln Memorial?
Take a look at the temporary restaurant sitting atop Brussels’ historic Arc de Triomphe-Triomfboog. The Cube, by Electrolux, offers 18 diners a spectacular view of the Parc du Cinquantenair, and is one of two structures traveling across Europe, making stops at famous landmarks in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and Russia. What do you think about one of these 60-tonne structures being placed on a U.S. memorial?
| May 6, 2011
Ellerbe Becket now operating as AECOM
*/ The architecture, interiors and engineering firm Ellerbe Becket, which joined AECOM in 2009, has fully transitioned to operating as AECOM as of May 2, 2011.
| May 2, 2011
URS acquires Apptis Holdings, a federal IT service provider
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and CHANTILLY, VA– April 28, 2011 – URS Corporation and Apptis Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of information technology and communications services to the federal government, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which URS will acquire Apptis.
| May 2, 2011
Perkins+Will merges with Vermeulen Hind Architects, offically launches Perkins+Will Canada
Ottawa and Hamilton-based Vermeulen Hind Architects, one of Canada’s leading healthcare architectural firms, has merged with Perkins+Will. Vermeulen Hind joins Toronto-based Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will and Vancouver-based Busby Perkins+Will to create Perkins+Will Canada. The combination marks the official launch of Perkins+Will Canada, a merge that will establish the firm as among the pre-eminent interdisciplinary design practices in Canada.
| Apr 26, 2011
Ed Mazria on how NYC can achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030
The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects invited Mr. Mazria to present a keynote lecture to launch its 2030 training program. In advance of that lecture, Jacob Slevin, co-founder of DesignerPages.com and a contributor to The Huffington Post, interviewed Mazria about creating a sustainable vision for the future and how New York City's architects and designers can rise to the occasion.
| Apr 26, 2011
Video: Are China's ghost cities a bubble waiting to burst?
It's estimated that 10 new cities are being built in China every year, but many are virtually deserted. Retail space remains empty and hundreds of apartments are vacant, but the Chinese government is more concerned with maintaining economic growth—and building cities is one way of achieving that goal.
| Apr 25, 2011
Earn $300 million by NOT hiring Frank Gehry
An Iowa philanthropist and architecture aficionado—who wishes to remain anonymous—is offering a $300 million “reward” to any city anywhere in the world that’s brave enough to hire someone other than Frank Gehry to design its new art museum.
