EDC November 2011 : Page 14

A W ARDS ENERGIZED Education The Excellence in Design winner in the Education category puts an emphasis on educating children through a hands-on experience. T he Buchanan Energy and Environmental Research Center puts the education of its students at the forefront — just like it does access to its systems geared toward sustainability and energy conservation. It’s this use of the fa-cility itself as an educational tool that nudged it to the head of the class in the Education category of the 2011 EID awards. At the commencement of the project, the architects met with a design committee consist-ing of teachers, administration, maintenance staff, parents, students and local industry pro-fessionals to establish a program for the project. Several meetings during the schematic design process were held to discuss ideas and receive direction. In addition to getting valuable input from the design committee, the process helped garner the committee’s total support of the final IMAGES BY PAUL MULLINS, MULLINS STUDIO. design. “The initial wish list was pretty long, and it’s remarkable how John Smith and his team at S.I.M. were able to incorporate so much green into a relatively small project,” says energy con-sultant Mark Alvis of Alvis Projects Inc. Funded equally by a Career Technical Education Grant and Clovis Unified School 14 ed+c NOVEMBER 11

Energized Education

The Excellence in Design winner in the Education category puts an emphasis on educating children through a hands-on experience. The Buchanan Energy and Environmental Research Center puts the education of its students at the forefront — just like it does access to its systems geared toward sustainability and energy conservation. It’s this use of the facility itself as an educational tool that nudged it to the head of the class in the Education category of the 2011 EID awards. At the commencement of the project, the architects met with a design committee consisting of teachers, administration, maintenance staff, parents, students and local industry professionals to establish a program for the project. Several meetings during the schematic design process were held to discuss ideas and receive direction. In addition to getting valuable input from the design committee, the process helped garner the committee’s total support of the final design. “The initial wish list was pretty long, and it’s remarkable how John Smith and his team atS. I.M. were able to incorporate so much green into a relatively small project,” says energy consultant Mark Alvis of Alvis Projects Inc. Funded equally by a Career Technical Education Grant and Clovis Unified SchoolDistrict, the final cost for the project came to $4,603,879. Those funds were put toward a curriculum the district had determined would best serve its students: the green industry.By providing students with an educational pathway and a facility emphasizing future careers in sustainability through vocational classes to educate and train for future careers, this project has become a valuable educational resource for the entire community. Since this facility was built to teach sustainable design and alternative energy systems, it was paramount that the building be a living and breathing example of both. The facility, as an instructional device, is part of the daily lessons and experiments. Teaching Tool One of the major components to successful vocational education is to provide hands-on experience. The Buchanan Energy and Environmental Research Center is designed to be a teaching tool, allowing students to have realtime interaction with all the different energy and sustainable elements of the facility. The concrete floors contain radiant floor heating, which can be viewed through Plexiglas view panels. A second story study area allows students access to photovoltaic panel arrays, a vegetative green roof, wind turbines and other such green design elements.There is also a demonstration wall where students can install components they design, build and then monitor to see the energy ramifications. Not only can students physically see two different types of operating wind turbines, they are also able to measure and analyze the energy production of each. Almost everything about the building’s design and construction was an example of sustainability and alternative energy concepts. The envelope is super insulated and efficient with insulated concrete form (ICF) walls, efficient window systems and a green vegetative roof. The mechanical systems are high efficiency and provide healthy air quality with the heating and thermal displacement cooling systems. An abundance of natural light and ventilation is provided with operable window systems. “The entire building is wired,” Alvis adds.“Students can monitor the output of the wind turbines and the PV arrays in real time. They can compare time of day, temperature and seasonal effects on the different systems. Overhead, plumbing and ducting is purposefully left exposed, much of it labeled so students can see how the whole building is connected.” In addition to rooftop experiment areas, an outdoor patio on the south side of the energy shops provides an area for experimentation, as well as an opportunity for the study of Xeroscape plantings and irrigation systems. Important consideration was also given to the siting of the building.By locating it against the street, it allows greater visibility for student recruiting and interested neighbors. The building is oriented such that it maximizes northern and southern exposure. Dividing the building into two components, with a central east/ west circulation spine, doubled the northern and southern exposure. This spine not only provides access, but it allows for additional outdoor teaching opportunities since it is covered. Along the main circulation path, an information kiosk has been located. The kiosk will allow passersby to view real-time energy data as well as a tutorial explaining the building and its green design elements. With the majority of the windows facing north and south, it was easy to control the sun and allow for an abundance of natural light.Light wells were created through the second floor study area, and light shelves are utilized on the south facing windows of the classrooms to further increase natural daylight.“The classrooms are lit with natural light from huge Kalwall panels which form much of the north wall,” says Alvis. “In addition, there are operable storefront-type windows on the south side that bring in more natural light.Light sensors in the ceiling automatically turn lights on or off as needed.” Expert Interaction Another important aspect of vocational education is the interaction of the local industry experts. As part of the programming and design process, partnerships with several green entities were established. These entities were important with regard to the design of the project and helped with the development of the curriculum. Several of these partners have also agreed to future presentations and student project development. Once the certification is complete, the project is expected to attain LEED Gold and be CHPS compliant.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here