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.

Bond Planning

Have you started planning for your next bond issue? Here are some tips to get started. First, set aside some to time to plan. Yes you have to plan to plan. Getting organized is critical to having a successful building program. . 

Organize a team to gather data that can identify the needs in your district. A demographer to gather population information so that you can identify pockets of growth in your community, a financial adviser can assist in how you can finance the bond and what the tax impact will be, a bond attorney can assist in the legal matters of holding a bond election, an architect can assist in developing a facility assessment of any existing campuses that may need renovations or additions and can estimate the construction costs. Also enlist your own staff to evaluate your current grade level structure and sizes of your existing campuses and offer ideas for improvements. 

After the facility assessment is completed, enlist local community members to form a citizen's advisory group. Have the advisory group study the information and offer ideas as to what they feel are the critical needs and how best to accomplish the needed facility improvements.

Take time to study past bond elections and why they passed, or if they didn't, understand the root cause of the failure. This step alone could be the deciding factor as to whether or not your current plan is the right one. 

The planning for a bond election can vary depending on your community and assessing the needs. It can take from as little as a couple of months to a year. If you set aside ample time to effectively plan, your chances of success are much greater.

Michael D. King AIA

What is Xeriscaping?

What is Xeriscaping? Well it is a word which is often misunderstood and misspelled as “zero-scape." Some people may believe this term means the plants do not need any watering to survive, but in fact, all plants do need some amount of water. Xeriscaping is a word created by combining the Greek word "xeric" with "scape," to read literally, "dry view." We use the term to define a low-water use landscape, as opposed to a no water use.
A well-designed xeriscape can include a variety of plants which provide seasonal color. Other benefits of using xeriscape plants are, they can attract wildlife such as butterflies and hummingbirds, requires low maintenance, reduces the amount of turf area and conserve water. This of course will also include the most efficient irrigation layout and proper specified system which your landscape architect will do for your facilities. Not all xeriscape plants are cactus “type” plants. There are a variety of native grasses, shrubs and ground covers which exist. The most attractive landscapes usually reflect the region for which your landscape architect will design for. Landscapes should take advantage of the lands natural features in which they exist.

Xeriscapeing in majority of cases is not costly. Your Landscape designer would likely design such a layout around the perimeter of a facility. So if your district is planning for a new school or your maintenance department is looking to replacing several plants, make sure to ask your landscape designer about xeriscaping.