A new high school in Massachusetts will encompass aholistic approach to ‘wellness’ that combines building materials and the needs of the community and those who will use it every dayBy Alexandra Gadawski and Jaime McGavin
Photo: Ed Wonsek
While there are many factors that contribute to a well-designed K-12 learning environment, student and teacher well-being is foundational to this work. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. The most recent data available from the National Center for Education Statistics show that students in the U.S. spend on average 6.66 hours a day and 178.9 days a year in school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). With such a significant portion of a child’s developmental stages spent inside of school buildings, it is critical that these environments promote health and wellness. An essential component of this is lighting design. The lighting in a space affects mood, behavior and productivity, so to provide every student with thoughtful, well-lit learning spaces, designers must carefully consider how to integrate artificial and natural lighting in a way that supports project goals and occupant well-being.
At the outset of a project, it is critical to set educational and sustainability goals, as well as associated benchmarks to measure progress along the way. This will ensure that all components of the design, from material selection to lighting design, align with the school and community vision. The AIA Materials Pledge (Figure 1)—which focuses on human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health and equity, and the circular economy—provides an accessible framework to guide the goal-setting process. Aligning goals across disciplines amplifies the impact, and while this framework was developed by architects, it is a valuable resource for evaluating lighting design strategies.
For the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Massachusetts, HMFH Architects utilized the AIA framework to guide the visioning process of this 400,000-sq ft career technical high school and help the public-school client consider design and sustainability goals holistically. Using four lenses—environmental, economic, social and educational (Figure 2)—the visioning team evaluated project goals and determined the following five driving forces for the design of the new school:
- A building design that strengthens the community’s identity, serves as a community resource and is a symbol of Bristol-Plymouth’s forward-looking educational model
- A net-zero energy ready design with efficient use of resources, energy, water and materials
- A resilient, durable and future-proof building
- A building that also serves as a teaching tool
- Connection to the site’s natural features and environmental systems
Once a concrete set of project goals have been determined, the next step is to identify trackable metrics to document progress throughout the iterative design process. For Bristol-Plymouth, which is targeting to be net-zero energy ready, a critical benchmark to track is lighting power density (LPD). In alignment with the ASHRAE goals for net-zero energy schools, the project is targeting an LPD of 0.45 (AHSRAE et al., 2018), which will help reduce the project’s energy use intensity (EUI) and contribute to the goal of net-zero energy. As the lighting design evolves, this benchmark can be used to evaluate the cost and benefit of each decision. As well as considering energy use and operational carbon, we need to consider embodied carbon in our design. The project benchmark for embodied carbon uses London Energy Transformation Initiative data, which suggest a project benchmark of 15% below the baseline building for schools (London Energy Transformation Initiative, 2020). The project will aim to reduce the embodied carbon of the building 15% from this benchmark, and lighting design will need to be part of these reductions.
During the next phases of design, it is critical to consider many interrelated design decisions within the context of the established project goals. Big design moves including building orientation and window placement help ensure core learning spaces are daylit during school hours, effectively minimizing the use of artificial light and reducing operational energy use. To determine the best design solutions for these strategies, box models of typical classrooms are used to analyze lighting conditions and ensure spaces are free of glare. Energy modeling through all phases of design allows the team to compare lighting data against the predetermined benchmarks to understand the impact of each design option.
Material transparency is foundational to making informed specification decisions. On this project the decision was made to prioritize products that are red list free and document this with a Declare Label. The International Living Future Institute describes the Declare Label as a “nutrition label” for products (International Living Future Institute, 2022). These labels allow specifiers to understand what chemicals compose the products they are selecting, and to prioritize those that are free of chemicals which are known to cause health impacts on humans and the environment. The design team is focused on finding options with Declare Labels for the classrooms and the corridors, spaces which account for approximately 70% of the school.
An integrated and efficient building design lowers operating and maintenance costs. The American Physical Society has found that if current and emerging cost-effective energy efficiency measures are employed in new buildings and in upgrades of existing heating, cooling, lighting and other operating equipment, the growth in energy demand from the building sector could fall from a projected 30% increase to zero increase between now and 2030 (APS Physics, 2008).
A host of lighting decisions will be integral to this effort (Figure 3). Efficient luminaire layouts and lighting levels appropriate to the use of the space, as well as the specification of appropriate reflectance factors for painting and coatings, are all important factors for optimizing lighting impacts. Smart controls can minimize the amount of energy use, but even when a luminaire is off, its embodied carbon and material-health impacts need to be considered. Only the persistent and careful attention of an integrated design team can achieve such ambitious energy reduction goals.
Outside the building of the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School (a similar project shown in Figure 4), the design team can also take advantage of the surrounding protected wetlands. Outdoor shop classroom spaces will be integrated into the landscape as a simple way to gain more access to daylight while connecting students and staff to the natural environment and reducing dependance on artificial lighting. Highly visible site features encourage occupants to observe the functional and aesthetic value of the sustainable site design. During the design process, it is important to be conscious of the adverse environmental effects of light pollution, which is the disruptive use of artificial light. Holistically sustainable lighting design involves reducing multiple forms of light pollution including uplight, glare and light trespass. Well-shielded and well-directed light, as well as increased night-sky access, improves nighttime visibility and reduces the negative impacts of light pollution on wildlife habitats (U.S. Green Building Council, 2020).
Moreover, in an educational environment, designing the building as a teaching tool is an effective strategy for promoting environmental stewardship and inspiring curiosity among students. Exposed and highly visible building structures and systems promote passive learning and is an engaging way to incorporate sustainable and practical elements into the design aesthetic of a school. For example, highlighting the inner workings of a building’s lighting, power, communications and mechanical systems provides students with a visual representation of a complex system (Figure 5). This is particularly relevant to many career technology programs, where data and communications are integral to the curriculum. Educational graphics are a great resource to further this concept and can be used to articulate the makeup and function of complex systems with bold and engaging visuals.
It is the design team’s responsibility to advocate for high-efficiency mechanical systems, LED lighting and smart controls that will minimize a project’s impact. It is also important to provide teacher training manuals explaining classroom controls and operations to ensure that systems are used as intended. Clearly articulating project goals and benchmarks across the entire integrated design team is critical to the success of a project. Early discussions with engineers can offer more flexibility later in the design process. For example, communicating the benefits of increased floor-to-floor height and shaft spaces will allow for future flexibility to reprogram spaces in accordance with new technologies and systems.
As the design of the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School evolves, we continue to reference initial project goals to ensure the design reflects the vision of the school and community members. While this case study centers on educational design, the lighting design and goal setting framework discussed can be applied to any project type.
References
1. AHSRAE et al. (2018). Advanced Energy Guide for K-12 School Buildings. ASHRAE.
2. APS Physics. (2008). Energy Future Think Efficienctly. American Physical Society.
3. International Living Future Institute. (2022, May 12). The Declare Label.
4. London Energy Transformation Initiative. (2020). LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide. London: London Energy Transformation Initiative.
5. National Center for Education Statistics. (2022, 03 10). Schools and Staffing Survey.
6. Planet Natural. (2022, May 2). Many Benefits of Sensory Gardens.
7. U.S. Green Building Council. (2020). LEED V4.1 Building Design and Construction. U.S. Green Building Council.
8. United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, 03 15). Indoor Air Quality What are the trends in air quality and their effects on human health?