Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement - 32

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL DESIGN IN PRACTICE The most signi" cant early example of green building by the SCA thus far is PS 276 in Battery Park City, which will open in 2010 and boasts such green building elements as increased insulation, occupancy sensors, high-ef" ciency plumbing, more effective use of natural light, reduced energy costs, water conservation and even solar panels. (Through the partnership with Battery Park City Authority, this building incorporates several components that go above and beyond the requirements of the Guidelines.) All of the SCA’s new construction projects that began design after January 1, 2007 are now being built subject to the Guidelines. Other new green schools opening in September 2010 include PS/IS 163, PS 971 and PS 361—all in Brooklyn. Three Green school additions to existing buildings will open in September as well. According to Roussey, while more expensive features such as photovoltaic panels are not standard for SCA projects, one sustainable element implemented at Battery Park City School that has since been incorporated as a standard for all school projects is the installation of energy-conserving occupancy sensors in each classroom. The SCA speci" cations also call for switches to provide the option of turning off the lights by the windows if it is bright enough in the classroom. Sustainable building isn’t just for new schools. In schools undergoing renovation, lighting is always replaced with more ef" cient " xtures, and bathroom upgrade projects incorporate the water-ef" cient faucets and toilet " xtures called for in the Green Schools Guide. Meanwhile, every school is working with the Green Schools Alliance to save energy by following sustainable practices, even down to making sure lights are turned off in unused rooms and at the end of the school day until occupancy sensors are installed. Recently, the SCA has begun installing new natural gas-" red boilers funded via PlaNYC in an effort to use the cleanest possible fuels. “We are making a concerted effort to pursue cost-effective means for sustainable and green building,” says E. Bruce Barrett, Vice President of Architecture & Engineering. For example, she notes, “we have adopted E-power, where the City buys, and we employ, green energy. For all new schools we have applied offsets that use GreenSource power delivered through the grid.” Also, she adds, the SCA has begun adding bicycle racks as an alternative transportation feature for all schools going forward. And of course, there are the rooftops. SUSTAINABLE & ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ROOFTOPS “What’s happening in the industry is that the school buildings themselves are becoming curriculum, part of science and technology and engineering and math,” says Eiden. “Classrooms have been extended to include exterior spaces, which is good for building technology, because the buildings themselves are becoming examples of how to reduce carbon footprint.” With this in mind, serious consideration is being given to transforming the vacant rooftop at The Manhattan School for Children (PS 333) into a Greenhouse Project for instruction and education, with a greenhouse that would include solar panels, a hydroponic growing system, a rainwater catchment system and a weather station to educate the school’s 700 students in biology, physics, earth sciences, and the living environment. This innovative project is still in the planning stages. According to Roussey, many factors are involved in making complicated modi" cations that will allow an existing building to accommodate such an undertaking—e.g., the cost of design work for the structure to support the additional load and dual egress required by code, including the creation of a stair bulkhead to the roof and the provision of handicapped access. The PS 333 project is particularly ambitious; however the SCA is already taking immediately achievable steps to modify existing roofs. For example, painting roofs white reduces the heat island effect by de" ecting heat rays from the sun. The SCA is also very involved in the creation of so called ‘blue roof’ designs, which encourage water retention to reduce the impact of storm surge on the NYC sewer system. Utilitarian green roofs have a cooling effect—a green growing medium in a small layer of soil contains water and offers evaporative cooling. THE SCA IS ON A MISSION TO GO GREEN In short, with the implementation of the Green School Guidelines, ‘building green’ has become a key element of the SCA’s mission. In fact, when the SCA revised its mission statement recently, it made this commitment to environmental responsibility explicit. (The new mission statement is posted online.) The SCA looks forward to working in partnership with design consultants, contractors and others in the construction industry to embrace innovation that will help build a sustainable future for the City’s school children. ■ 31

Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Work Smart with the SCA McGraw-Hill Supplement