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Since
the beginning of the 12 billion dollar school construction initiative in New Jersey,
one universal need has been put fourth - how can we get the best buildings for
the money. While all the parties involved - the taxpayers, the NJEDA, NJDOE, NJDEP
and NJ School Business Officials have multitudes of requirements and needs - this
is the one question that is repeated by all. The EDA and DEP recognize the impact
of life cycle costs and know that these buildings need to last. School Administrators
realize that both budgets and schedules are tight. Users - the school's staff
and parents recognize the impact that the building environment can have on them;
they are tired of their children feeling sluggish and sick, and being distracted
by loud HVAC, poor lighting, and inappropriate acoustics.
An
answer that addresses all these concerns can be found in "High Performance
Design," also known as "Sustainable" or "Green" design.
The components of a High Performance designed School are community integration,
low construction costs, simple building maintenance, healthy relationship to the
natural environment, healthy indoor environment, and low operating costs. The
following will hopefully help make clear the value of incorporating high performance
design principles as defined by the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design) Green Building Rating System, the only nationally accepted system developed
by the US Green Building Council, in any project from program and professional
consultant selection through construction and operation of a building by asking
and answering some very basic questions. WHAT
IS HIGH PERFORMANCE DESIGN?
The
terms - Sustainable, Green, and High Performance, as the EDA likes to call it,
are used quite interchangeably these days. They all essentially mean the same
thing. A building that saves significant resources in construction, operation,
and maintenance, provides a healthier indoor environment to live or work in, and
is recyclable at the end of its useful life is a well-designed, high performance
building.
The basic principles that embody this are as follows: 1.
Holistic Design: the design team must look at a building and its systems
and how they interact to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. This ensures
the most cost effective design and lowest operating and maintenance costs.
2.
Site Preservation: the design team must study the site to ensure natural features
are protected. Site amenities, such as natural day lighting, views, and features,
are incorporated in the building through proper orientation, and damaged sites
are restored to the extent possible or required. Proper building orientation alone
can reduce energy demands by 50% and eliminate glare problems. This results in
lower operating costs.
3. Water Conservation: reduction in water
usage through efficient fixtures can reduce water usage by over 30% and save thousands
of dollars a year in operating costs. Additional measures such as a rainwater
catchment system, waterless urinals, or gray water recycling can reduce water
usage by 80 to 90% in a school within a project budget.
4. Energy Conservation:
off-the-shelf technology exists to reduce HVAC and lighting energy demands by
50-90% yearly over conventional design without an increased first cost and dramatic
maintenance and operating cost reductions.
5. Indoor Environmental
Quality: On average Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. Ventilation
effectiveness, control of contaminants, proper illumination, and proper acoustic
design all result in fewer employee sick days, 26% better performance by students
and staff, and no liability to the owner for sick-building related lawsuits.
6.
Materials & Resources Conservation: Specifying materials with significant
amounts of recycled content, manufactured from renewable materials, obtained from
local sources, made from non-toxic materials, and themselves recyclable, minimizes
the building impact on our natural resources, reduces disposal fees during construction
and renovation, and creates a healthy, more durable indoor environment 7.
Commissioning: Commissioning is a third party process that ensures the
environmental goals and conservation standards designed by the project team are
met both in the design documents, construction, and testing of a building and
its systems. Basic systems commissioning on HVAC and lighting is now required
by the State of NJ as of the adoption of ASHRAE 90.1-1999.
8. Education
& Community Involvement: The building is a teaching tool for math and
science principles that are basic to the technologies utilized in high performance
schools. Schools which are accessible to the community, representative of the
community in form and flexibility, and which instill a sense of pride are buildings,
which will be well-maintained, well-received, and well-utilized for generations.
We must design our schools for our grandchildren's grandchildren not just for
tomorrow's generation.
WHAT
ARE THE BENEFITS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DESIGN THAT MAKE IT A "NO-BRAINER"?
In listing the benefits,
one has to also consider the Life Cycle Cost perspective of a building. First
cost alone should not be a deciding factor. In fact, when you look at the first
cost of a building compared to the operation cost of a building, as demonstrated
in the 40 year life cycle analysis below by Johnson Controls, it becomes apparent
that decisions made in the area with the smallest financial impact, Construction,
result in the most significant consequences in the area with the largest financial
impact, Operation. All of the decisions are made during the area that is even
too small to show on the pie chart, in Design. This accounts for only 6 to 8%
of the 11% initial Construction Cost. In short, all of the decisions that effect
the entire Life Cycle Cost of a building are made up front - in the smallest cost
percentage of the building. That is why it is so critical to think about sustainability
or high performance design up front. For
many of the reasons listed in the previous question, a high performance design
should be a "no brainer" because:
1. First Cost is the same
or less typically because it is making better use of resources, materials, and
processes. This is contrary to the misconception that High Performance Design
costs more. It does not! (Typically 11% of building life cycle cost)
2.
Operating Costs are reduced by 50 to 90% because systems are more efficient and
integrated. (Typically 50% of building life cycle cost, including maintenance)
3. Maintenance costs are sharply reduced because materials are more durable,
systems are better designed and stress on individual components is reduced resulting
in fewer failures & less expensive repairs.
4. Performance of staff
and students/users has been documented to be increased by 20 to 26% with better
indoor air quality from lighting & ventilation.
5. Flexibility: A
sustainable building is flexible and easily adaptable to changing uses and users,
reducing renovation costs by half. (This is typically 25% of a building life cycle
cost)
6. Financing: Significant State rebates in New jersey through the
Smart Start Program, & Clean Energy Program exists to reimburse Owners for
part of the initial costs of many high performance technologies including sensors,
efficient lighting & HVAC equipment, renewable energy systems like Photovoltaics
& geothermal. In addition, other states like New York offer tax incentives
and government grant with significant funding through private grants also more
easily accessible with such a design. (In a project under design in my office
we are expecting to recoup $70,000 per school for the Howell School District's
three new school projects by taking advantage of these programs that are funded
through rate payer charges) HOW
CAN YOU ACHIEVE A HIGH PERFORMANCE, SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ON TIME & BUDGET?
Read
Full article including Howell School case study: Abstract CONCLUSION:
There are a number of firms throughout the country and particularly concentrated
in the Tri-State area with qualified LEED accredited professionals and/or an established
history of successful high performance, cost effective sustainable projects. By
establishing goals early and working within the confines of your project's budget,
it is very tangible for qualified firms to provide a high performance building
on time and on budget that will delight users and administration for decades to
come by creating healthy, efficient, beautiful buildings that are interactive
with and respectful of their natural environment. The
idea that building sustainably costs more is a myth propagated by those that do
not understand or know how to do it. Looking at a project holistically, educating
yourself to understand that there are better options out there that are readily
available, off-the-shelf technologies, involving your community, and incorporating
the principles of high performance design as clearly delineated by the LEED Green
Building Rating System are the key elements to success in creating a healthy,
cost effective, and productive building. It requires integration, forethought,
and planning from schematic design through construction. Trying to overlay high
performance design principles after-the-fact will result in higher project design
, operating, and maintenance costs. As I have often said, "All of the mistakes
are made in the planning," so plan well.
For
more information on LEED and the USGBC visit www.usgbc.org or check out your local
USGBC Chapter. In New Jersey go to www.usgbcnj.org for all of the local events
and listings. |
