High Performance Schools:

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High Performance Schools Poquoson Elementary
School A Regional and International
Perspective Presented by Robert Winstead, AIA,
LEEDap Director of Sustainable Design VMDO
Architects, PC Bob Crowell, P.E. Vice
President 2rw Consultants, Inc. April 24, 2006
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Poquosin (pa-koe-sin) Algonquain, n Swamp on
a hill
Chesapeake Bay
Poquoson River
Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge
Back River
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Poquosins store groundwater in deep peat,
preventing rapid runoff and erosion, then
filtering and cleaning the water before its
decent into swamps and eventual return to the
ocean. Poquosins also catch and store botanical
detritus. Dead vegetative matter forms lush
nurseries for infant fish that, like filtered
water, ultimately descend to faster-moving
vessels in the hydraulic circuit. Much of the
once-alive detritus dissolves into carbon,
however, and carbon, combined with hydrogen,
oxygen, and other elements, creates life anew in
many forms.
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Poquosin (pa-koe-sin) Algonquain, n Swamp on
a hill
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Poquoson City Public Schools Programming - Lead
Team
Architecture as Pedagogy As commonly practiced,
education has little to do with its specific
setting or locality. The typical campus is
regarded mostly as a place were learning occurs,
but is, itself, believed to be the source of no
useful learning. It is intended, rather, to be
convenient, efficient, or aesthetically pleasing,
but not instructive. It neither requires nor
facilitates competence or mindfulness. By that
standard, the same education could happen as well
in California or in Kazakhstan, or on Mars, for
that matter.
How do our buildings shape us?
The same could be said of the buildings....
Their design is thought to have little or nothing
to do with the process of learning or the quality
of scholarship that occurs in a particular place,
when in fact buildings and landscape reflect a
hidden curriculum that powerfully influences the
learning process.
The curriculum embedded in any building instructs
as fully and as effectively as any course taught
in it.
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Poquoson City Public Schools Programming -
Precedents
CBFs Phillip Merril Center for Environmental
Studies Annapolis, Maryland
Strawberry Vale Elementary School Victoria,
British Columbia
Lewis Center for Environmental Studies Oberlin
College, Ohio
Seabird Community School Agassiz, British Columbia
IslandWood School Bainbridge Island, Washington
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Poquoson City Public Schools Programming Site
Visits
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Poquoson City Public Schools Programming
Project Themes
the natural environment
To care for the environment, you must love it.
To love it, you must know it. To know it, you
must experience it.
transitions
In the beginning there was a river. The river
became a road and the road branched out to the
whole world. Ben Okri, The Famished Road
land
water
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Poquoson City Public Schools Project Stats

• Grades 3, 4, and 5 (future 6th)
• 225 students per grade 675 students (900
  future)
• plus core facilities for 225 additional students
• /- 85,000 GSF
• Opening Spring/Summer 2008

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Poquoson City Public Schools Educational
/ Space Program
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Poquoson City Public Schools LEED Advocate
Committee
Currently registered under LEED v.2.1
Currently pursuing 52 credits Platinum rating
Applied for two 100,000 grants with VA DCR
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Criteria for evaluating LEED points Yes May
be No

• Credit is consistent with a law, code, regulation
  or ordinance and therefore will be required
  regardless of LEED.
• Credit is consistent with best practices and
  therefore would be a part of the design and
  budget regardless of LEED.
  
• Implementation of credit will result in continued
  savings to the owner for operation and/or
  maintenance of the building over the life of the
  building.
• Credit is consistent with the curriculum or
  otherwise provides learning opportunities desired
  by the owner.
• Credit is synergistic and therefore will cost
  little or nothing to implement when included in
  concert with other previously-endorsed credits.
• Credit is desired by owner.
• Credit is in conflict with a law, code,
  regulation or ordinance and therefore cannot be
  implemented.
• Credit is outside the scope of this project.
• Credit will result in an increase to the budget
  without a) being required by law,
  code, regulation or ordinance, b) the
  potential to result in continued savings for the
  owner, c) providing learning opportunities, or
  d) being
  specifically requested by the owner.

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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
SS.4.1 Alternative Transportation - Public (1
point) Reduce pollution and land development
impacts from automobile use. Opinion
(PHRA) Poquoson does not have an active public
transportation system. However, if one develops
in the future, a route along Poquoson Avenue is
likely and this site seems like an obvious
location for a stop. Recommendation This
credit cannot be pursued at this time.
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certified
0
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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
EA.5 Measurement and Verification (1
point) Provide for ongoing accountability and
optimization of building energy and water
performance. Opinion (2rw) Continuous metering
equipment must be installed for all major
systems individually (eg, lighting, motors
drives, chillers, cooling loads, economizer
heat recovery, air pressures flow rates, boiler
efficiencies, other building process-related
systems, water and irrigation systems). Physical
quantity sensing and data logging can be done
using a building automation system (BAS), which
would likely be installed anyway. Individual
sensors and meters for measurement and
verification would increase the cost of the BAS
by about 1500/instrument (15-20k total).
Benefits would include availability of measured
data to track building performance or establish
baselines for any future system upgrades,
capability for alarms indicating that performance
has decreased and resulting need for maintenance,
and the possibility of a systems array learning
tool. Costs associated, but synergistic and
worth pursuing because of long-term savings and
learning potential. Recommendation Discuss with
owner.
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certified
0
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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
EQ.3.1 Ventilation During Construction (1
point) Prevent indoor air quality problems
resulting from the construction process. Opinion
(2rw) Detailed specifications for the
construction process must be provided to the
contractor. Construction administrator must
ensure compliance and commissioning agent must
verify that the requirements are met. Benefits
would include preventing potentially harmful
microbial growth and/or debris build-up inside
ductwork and air handlers during construction
process. Must be coordinated with
contractor. Recommendation Discuss with owner.
26
certified
0
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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
EQ.8.2 Daylight and Views 90 (1 point) Provide
a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces
via day lighting and views. Opinion
(VMDO) Provide for the building occupants a
connection between indoor spaces and the outdoors
through the introduction of daylight and views
into the regularly occupied areas of the
building. The current site strategy and building
layout will provide opportunities for daylight
and views from almost every space in the
building. This is a best practice and
therefore already a part of the design and
budget. Recommendation Pursue this credit.
26
certified
0
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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
ID.1.4 Educational Commissioning (1
point) Provide on-going training on how to use
the building as an educational tool. Opinion
(VMDO) Establish and implement a on-site
training program for teachers and staff to teach
them how to use the learning environment
(furniture layout, classroom technology,
daylighting devices, etc.), introduce innovative
features of the building, and provide ideas and
examples of how the building can be used as a
teaching tool to meet the requirements of SOL.
Provide a paperless training manual (powerpoint
on CD or web-based) for future staff.
Recommendation Apply for innovative credit.
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certified
0
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Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy
Atmosphere Materials Resources Indoor
Environmental Quality Design Process
52
platinum
ID.1.6 Educational Landscape (1 point) Extend
the learning environment into the school site and
provide ongoing activities and learning
opportunities specific to the site. Opinion
(VMDO) Provide access to the existing wetlands.
In the design of the landscape surrounding the
school, create a series of outdoors spaces that
teach specific lessons about the site. These
might include, but are not limited to, outdoor
classrooms, learning gardens, school-yard
habitats, wetland labs, etc. Provide signage to
facilitate understanding and encourage further
investigation. Recommendation Apply for
innovative credit.
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certified
0
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Site Analysis
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Educational Concepts - Site Procession to the
water Wetland Lab Nesting Stands Educational
Signage Outdoor Classrooms Sundial/Model of the
Solar System Educational Playgrounds
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Educational Concepts - Grade House Community
Identity (watershed) Fat L classrooms Break-out
areas Flexible resource/project rooms Grade
specific storage Dedicated service clusters
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Educational Concepts - Building Separation of
Public/Private Program Inside/Outside Increased
Independence with Age
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Stormwater/Wetlands

• Net decrease in impervious area
• Restore existing landfill to wetlands
• Impact 0.16 acres of wetlands (roadside ditch)
  
• Construct 1.6 acres of wetlands (tenfold
  increase)

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Building Orientation/Envelope
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Daylighting/Views/Ventilation
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Mechanical Systems
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Waterless Urinals

• First cost savings
• 9 fixtures x 500/fixture 4,500
• Operational savings
• 130,500 gal. X 6.76/1000 gal. 882.18/year
• (75- 20) / fixture X 9 fixtures
  495.00/year
• Educational
• priceless

350 male occupants X 2 uses per day X 180 school
days per year X 1 gallon per flush 130,500
gallons per year
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Water Harvesting
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Poquoson City Public Schools Lessons Learned

• Good design takes time (more time than money)
• Start early (before you pick up a pencil)
• Identify a champion(s)
• Become the experts or get them on your team!
• Collaborate, Communicate, Coordinate!
• Keep it real its about education!