The design challenges facing the educational client are many. Issues regarding inclusion of technology, campus and building security, incorporation of new teaching modalities are a few of the many challenges facing clients today. These pressures, combined with the need to find cost effective, and schedule sensitive solutions make this market segment one of the most interesting and challenging facing client and design teams.
The educational community, while fulfilling the role of client, also recognizes its responsibility in supporting and exploring important social issues as they pertain to the building and construction process.
One such area is that of the environment, and the impact that design and construction decisions can have relative to sustainability and environmental issues. Many of our educational clients identify their commitment to “Green” architecture as a significant priority in the building process.
As a leader in educational architecture, DRA’s goal is to develop facilities that will be environmentally friendly, and resource efficient with superior indoor air quality while maintaining functionality, reliability and cost-effectiveness. We also want to capitalize on the educational opportunities of making these sustainable strategies visible whenever possible
Specifically, our design teams along with our client partners pursue the following sustainable elements and high
performance strategies in our design processes:
*Site Considerations. Relative to environmental and sustainability issues, major site considerations include the projects’ physical impact on the environment, storm drainage and water quality issues and landscape material selection.
Minimization of land disturbance, restoration of the native vegetative context and reduction of site water consumption all are goals that can be addressed with proper land planning practices. Protection of ground water via techniques focused on the minimization of pollutants, the recharging of ground water and the targeted goal of no net change to total site storm water run-off likewise are all important components in the protection of natural resources.
Some applied site strategies include:
*Project Impact. Configurations that serve to reduce the building footprint, respect and retain mature trees and leave wetlands undisturbed are examples of planning methods to reduce project impact. The recycling of excavated materials is a means of reducing the project’s impact during the construction phase of the project.
*Water Quality: Inclusion of high quality catch basins with sumps and oil separators serve to reduce pollutants that might otherwise be introduced into the ground water. Designs providing no net change to a site’s storm water run-off and that incorporate underground recharge galleys do not tax adjacent sites with additional water recharge requirements.
*Landscape. Selection of hardy, drought resistant native plant materials, along with a goal of minimizing lawn areas allows for a reduction in the water usage and maintenance requirements of a site. When playfield irrigation is needed, consideration of deep well resources as well as supplemental roof rain water collection should be considered.
*Building Considerations. Major building-related goals in conservation relative include considerations in the demand and supply of energy, building resource management, and material selection. Energy goals include the creation of efficient building envelopes to minimize heating and cooling loading, the utilization of passive solar strategies to maximize natural lighting, ventilation and solar gain during heating seasons. The conservation of water resources within a building as well as the optimization of waste management practices all can be influenced by the building design. The elimination of toxic building materials in the built environment is a design side activity that greatly influences a buildings impact on the environment both today and in the future.
Examples of resource efficient and environmentally friendly building strategies include:
*Energy – Demand Side. Consideration of the insulative envelope is crucial in the building’s energy demand requirements. Air barriers, insulation, high performance windows all can jointly serve to reduce future energy demands. Physical oversizing of vestibules at all entries likewise serves to reduce loading on energy requirements. Passive strategies, such as orientation, the use of light colored reflective roof surfaces, and the use of deciduous planting materials can be introduced often with minimal or no cost to the project. Providing for operable windows, taking advantage of natural lighting possibilities can also be means of energy demand reduction.
*Energy – Supply Side. Close attention to high energy use areas such as HVAC equipment can aid in energy consumption reduction. Consideration of variable frequency drive pumps, energy management systems with economizer cycles and energy efficient motors are a few area where the engineering team cam aid in the savings. Simple ways to encourage all building users to contribute, include; encouraging bike usage with adequate and conveniently located bike racks, allowing for operable windows for natural ventilation and cooling, and taking advantage of natural lighting possibilities to augment the use of artificial lighting.
*Resource Management. Water resource usage can be limited in proposed schemes. Low flow toilets, metered faucets and waterless urinals all might be appropriate to aid in limiting water usage. Schemes employing rainwater collected from roofs might also be considered as a source of gray water for toilet flushing.
The optimization of waste management procedures can improve resource management practices. Building wide recycling programs may be better supported with designed-in de-centralized recycling centers for collection
*Building Materials. Goals in this category may include the elimination of toxic material, and the maximization of recycling in the building product. Care to specify low V.O.C. materials, especially in paints, carpets and adhesives. If renovation is part of the scope of work, encourage re-use of demolished and salvaged materials. Often organizations within your community specialize in the collection and recycling of building material, including doors and windows. Seek out materials and systems during the specification process that incorporate recycled materials, especially carpets, floor coverings and toilet partitions.
The strategies listed above identify a framework and attitude for our design team/client partnerships. Significant commitment to a vigorous pursuit of current environmental research and its application to the built environment is a requirement in the pursuit of attaining Green Architecture. Investigation, coordination and resolution of each appropriate technology is a responsibility shared by the design/client team. Seeking out and participation in on-going reimbursement programs, such as utility company rebate programs, provide the means to stretch the planned Green Architecture investment dollar.
The monies and time invested in these strategies today are true investments in quality of life issues that will effect the built educational environments well into the future.
