Building as a teaching tool

What if your school facility itself could be a tool for teaching your students? A while ago, I toured Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, a net zero school (one that generates the same amount of energy as it consumes) and saw this in action.

There were a couple of select locations where the ceiling had intentionally been left out so that everyone could see the inner workings of the building. The different mechanical and plumbing lines were all color coded so that the different systems could be identified and followed. If your district has a career and technology program at the high school level, this could be very beneficial for architecture and engineering students to gain a basic understanding on how a building works.

In the main corridor, there were several interactive displays each with their own theme that would explain the different systems in the building in a manner that middle school students could understand. There were three dimensional diagrams of the earth and how a geothermal system worked on one wall, water collection, use and recycling on another and information on the sun and how it powered solar panels that in turn powered the school on yet another.

TV screens showed the energy management system so that students could see how much energy the facility was currently using. A floor plan of the school was on one monitor with each room colored green, yellow, or red based on the amount of energy being consumed. It became a positive challenge where students would try to find ways to conserve more energy and figure out how to eliminate the red rooms on the map.

Some of these may seem like grand ideas, but there are small ways to get started. Place recycling bins throughout the building and educate students and staff on how to use them. Perhaps it can be a competition among grade levels on who can generate the least amount of trash. Share the positive impacts of daylighting by comparing light levels and coloration on different surfaces, general feel of the space, etc. When students understand the environment in which they are working, they know better how to respond and interact with their surroundings, often showing greater respect and pride for their space.