Student Lockers, or Not

The issue as to whether to provide student lockers in high schools and middle schools is a conversation you should have with your design professional early in the planning stage of your project. It seems like a simple decision, but it will have ongoing implications of safety and security for your school.

We still see the majority of our clients requesting student lockers to be located down various corridors, much as we have been accustomed to seeing in schools for years. The difference being now, as opposed to say 15 years ago, is in the placement of the lockers. They can still be located down a corridor, but don't position them adjacent to exterior doors where it makes it easy for students to bring in contraband unseen. If lockers are grouped together in a specific area, do not extend the lockers above eye level so as to block the view of the monitor for that area.

We have had several school districts eliminate student lockers all together. The ongoing trouble of dealing with drugs and other paraphernalia has been the driving force to get rid of them. The solution has either been to make students carry all their books in a back pack or provide a second set of books located in the classroom. Of course, providing the second set of books has a monetary impact that has kept many schools from choosing this option. As school districts go this route, we see more teachers requesting some type of cabinet in the classroom to store or hang the back packs as students are carrying all their worldly possesions with them from class to class.

There is a third option I believe that we will see in the near future and that is the introduction of the iPad or other similar note books. As this technology becomes more readily available, standard hard cover books as we know them will become less attractive, thus eliminating the need for a locker. This won't happen quickly, I believe it will be a slow transition. And if this does occur, it brings up another issue as to the viability of libraries as we know them now. We'll save that discussion for another time though.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and issues/solutions to student lockers in your school.

Michael D. King AIA

Passive Solar Strategies

At this time of the year, when it’s cold outside but the days are getting longer, I think about passive solar strategies for reducing heating bills. The sun can provide heat for your school. Passive solar heating involves designing a building with south-facing windows and building overhangs so that the sun can heat in the winter but not the summer. Since the sun is higher in the sky in the summer than in the winter, those low-angle rays, in a properly designed building, will provide heat at this time of the year. When the sun’s angle is higher, during the warmer part of the year, a properly designed passive solar building’s roof overhangs will block the sun’s rays so no rays will strike directly on the glazing later in the year. For more information about using the sun to heat, follow this link: http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10280 . Although it’s “home designing and remodeling” the explanation of the idea behind passive solar heating is the same as for schools. The easiest passive solar strategy that reduces cooling bills is that of planting trees. Trees are often overlooked as an important passive solar cooling strategy, but it’s easy enough to incorporate deciduous trees into your landscaping. Plant deciduous trees on the southeast and southwest corners of your school. The trees provide shade during the seasons when they are leafed out, which is when cooling is needed. When the trees lose their leaves in the fall the sun shines on the school building, which provides passive solar heating if the building is designed for passive solar heat gain. Another strategy is known as “indirect gain” (sometimes called a Trombe Wall) which uses a building’s mass to collect, absorb, then redistribute heat. The sun’s rays shine into a space between the building’s glazing and a masonry or concrete wall, which acts as a heat sink. Then various methods are used to move the heat into the rest of a building. http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10300 . I’ve discussed the use of daylight harvesting or daylighting in schools in a previous blog; check my blogs to see how to utilize this strategy to increase student health.

January is National Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month. Radon, a radioactive gas found in all 50 states, is responsible for over 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year, second only to cigarette smoking. Radon is naturally occurring in the soil wherever uranium deposits are located. Because it’s odorless and tasteless it’s not well-known as a health risk. There may be a substantial number of schools in the U.S. with radon problems, since not all states mandate radon testing. Pressure from the soil typically is greater than air pressure in a school, so the radon finds its way or is pushed into a school from cracks in building foundations, slabs, and other avenues of ingress. Once inside it’s breathed by the building’s occupants. The radioactive particles cause irritation in the lungs, leading to cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that all schools be tested and that action be taken to reduce elevated radon levels. Many schools have radon in them, yet not all schools test for radon. The only way to determine the presence of and the levels of radon is to test. The test is simple and inexpensive. Test kits can be purchased online or at hardware or home improvement stores. Since there are both short-term and long-term tests, it’s best to do both for a baseline if you haven’t ever done radon testing. The links below will help determine testing protocols and follow-up for your school. It’s better to test more than one area of your school. There are construction techniques that can alleviate the risk of radon. Older schools are more at risk than newer schools for radon intrusion due to cracking from settling, not as air-tight construction on foundations and floors, and less caulking / waterproofing at floor penetrations. Common problem areas include (Courtesy of Kansas State University) • Cracks in floors and walls • Gaps in suspended floors • Openings around sump pumps and drains • Cavities in walls • Joints in construction materials • Gaps around utility penetrations (pipes and wires) • Crawl spaces that open directly into the building The U.S. EPA recommends schools hire professionals for radon testing. Fixes for radon intrusion can be fairly inexpensive. The link below will help you find your state’s radon office. www.sosradon.org – Kansas State University’s radon education website. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/pdfs/kit/managing_radon.pdf - managing radon in schools. There is a substantial amount of information on this site. http://www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/zonemapcolor.pdf - a map showing the three radon zones in the U.S. Zone 1 (yellow) is the least likely to experience radon problems. Again, the only way to really determine your school’s radon infiltration is to test.

Implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program

As one school administrator asks, “What’s the difference between a pest and a pet?” (Answer: one you feed and the other you don’t.) If your school doesn’t have an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, you can take steps to turn those pets into pests, and then reduce those pests. This is an important component of Indoor Environmental Quality objectives. An IPM program means that you will use eradication chemicals only as part of a comprehensive program to reduce insect, rodent, and other pest populations while taking steps to reduce asthma triggers, which will help your overall student population. First the facilities people at your school will want to keep records on what types of pests are typical or common for each campus. Your written IPM program will list types and numbers of pests that will be tolerated, then the amount or frequency of infestations and what steps will be taken at what point in time to reduce or eliminate infestations. At your school, you’ll work to alleviate the infestations by the use of several methods. Sanitation is what you are going to use in lieu of pesticides for the first line of defense. Use common-sense strategies: caulk the building envelope, make sure doors and windows close properly, and inspect vegetation areas near entries. If excessive vegetation harbors pests, take steps to prune or eliminate the vegetation. Consider whether or not the pest is actually a pest (honeybees for example). Next you’ll want to determine the various ways to reduce or remove pests. The idea is to reduce reliance on chemicals, which can be harmful to humans, especially the medically fragile. If your school uses the calendar to schedule pest spraying, stop using the calendar. It’s too arbitrary and leads to over-use of pesticides. Consider using traps and (non-pesticide) baits to monitor pests. You’ll want to keep your school clean and reduce food sources for your pests. When pests reach a certain threshold, as detailed on your schools IPM plan, you’ll need to act. Some of the ways to keep pests from turning into pets: • Keep food out of classrooms. Keep food in the cafeteria. • Have a “no classroom pets” rule. All those class gerbils and rats eat, drink, and have bedding. Their supplies are stored in the classroom. Think about having a teacher’s meeting to determine a classroom pet policy. • Remove refrigerators and other food storage and preparation appliances from the classroom – get rid of coffee makers, toaster ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, and hot plates. • Have trash emptied daily from classrooms. • Keep classrooms clutter-free so the janitorial staff is able to clean effectively. When there is no other choice but to use pesticides, develop a list of least-toxic pesticides. Try using mechanical means first, for instance, scrub the affected area clean before resorting to pesticide application. Pesticides often need licensed applicators to apply and they can persist in the school for long-term, ongoing exposure. For chemically sensitive children this can mean repeated absences. Also explore green methods for cleaning and for pest removal. Biological controls are effective; scientists have developed traps or other methods of removing pests based on pheromone attractants. The use of diatomaceous earth is common and is effective for ant control. The sharp pieces of silica in diatomaceous earth stick in the exoskeleton of pests, then are brought back to the nest by the ants where they (the shards) persist, resulting in the death of the insect. Use predatory insects to keep pests under control – ladybugs and praying mantis can be ordered through the mail. For mice and other rodents, use traps. An Integrated Pest Management program is an important aspect of providing a healthy school environment. Writing and implementing an IPM plan is simple. There is an example IPM plan below (third link). http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/ipm.h http://www.whatisipm.org/ http://www.uvm.edu/pss/pd/schoolipm/documents/sampleplan.pdf http://www.epa.gov/pesp/ipminschools/issuesandbenefits.html

Strategies for Water Use Reduction

Many areas of the U.S. are experiencing drought conditions. Many other areas receive little rainfall. As the cost of providing water grows for our growing population, schools are experiencing rising costs with only one guarantee: rates will continue to rise.

What are some strategies to reduce the use of water? A local school district researched ways to save water. In a recently-completed new school, they chose to use waterless urinals. (Most people, when they hear “waterless urinal”, say “ewwww”.) But waterless urinals don’t necessarily smell. The ones this district selected have a one-way valve that works to trap odors so there are no smells. There is also a cartridge that gets changed out after every 300 flushes. They did the math and the cartridges only need to be replaced every couple of months. The replacement involves turning and twisting the old cartridge out with a built-in lever, popping a new one into the holder, turning and twisting it back in.

Low-water usage faucets and showerheads are now commonplace, and are code-required in many municipalities. Low-flow toilets have been around for quite a few years now, and are getting better all the time. Some work better than others. Check out the link to see which ones work best. (If you still have the old tank toilets, the old trick of putting a brick in the tank, or filling up a milk jug with water, capping it and putting it in the tank will work to obtain flushing with less water.)

The same district also decided to try a pilot project to see if rainwater harvesting would provide sufficient water for use in irrigating ball fields. This is a big issue for schools – if you offer sports opportunities for students, you really need irrigation. If you don’t irrigate fields, when they dry out, they get hard and lead to injuries. This is especially true for the clay soils we have here in North Texas. At this school the rainwater is gathered from gutters and downspouts from the buildings on the campus, and also from catch basins in parking lots. All runoff is piped to an irrigation pond, which is aerated to keep the water quality high. It’s a fairly simple system, with a pump providing the means to distribute the water. Several cities are interested the project and are studying the practicality of reproducing this system, and are also interested in the benefit of less runoff in the river.

Another school district was piping runoff from one of their schools to a stream that ran fairly close to the school. The method used to harvest rainwater was a clever one. Since the piping ran several hundred yards before the outfall into the stream, a valve was installed in the large-diamter pipe. This means the water is stored in the pipe until it needs to be used for irrigation. If your school has a scenario similar to this, you could upsize your pipe to store a lot of water.

Look at every aspect of water use in your school. Commercial dishwashers use minimal amounts of water while washing dishes in two minutes or less. Other ways to save water in the kitchen can be researched, for instance, low flow heads in the dish rinsing area.

Is there a way your school could do something other than have large amounts of lawn? Lawns are preferred by many school districts as their optimal surface for many reasons, but it’s possible to reduce the amount of sod, replacing with other surfaces. A few possibilities would be bark chips, crushed limestone or crushed granite, decorative river rock or other decorative rock, or ground covers that don’t use as much water (or fertilizers) as lawn.

Xeriscaping could be the subject of another blog because it’s a big subject. Xeriscaping is the art and science of using drought-tolerant plants, and perhaps more specifically native plants, in landscaping. After watching many trees, shrubs, and other plants die this summer from record high temperatures and record drought, xeriscaping is a strategy that can help reduce water needs while still maintaining attractive and functional outdoor spaces.

Drip irrigation can be effectively used to target areas that need water. Instead of using sprinkler heads to water shrubs and trees, use drip irrigation.

One area that is little utilized but is more under discussion is that of gray water re-use. Gray water means water that’s used for washing gets re-used. (Black water is a term for the re-use of sewage water.) Many municipalities don’t allow gray water re-use, or only allow it under certain conditions. We will be seeing more and more use of gray water, especially water from showers or hand-washing being filtered, treated, and re-used, especially for landscape irrigation. Municipalities will continue educating plan review and code compliance departments in successful gray-water reuse methods.

There are many ways to save your district money on water usage. Your district may want to adopt water saving strategies for cost-savings measures or because there is insufficient water supply.

http://www.consumersearch.com/toilets/reviews
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/plumbingrestrooms/article/Making-Waterless-Work--2442
http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Xeris/xeris1.htm
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/04702.html
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/homegard/graywate.htm

Weatherization for Schools

Back in the old days I lived in Alaska. A cold part of Alaska where, living in a mobile home for a winter, I discovered that, at about minus 20 degrees and colder, no stud finder was needed to determine the location of wall studs in the walls (behind the faux walnut paneling) because the walls would grow a coat of frost on the paneling at the location of each stud. In addition, each nail head would be covered with an even larger cap of frost. It was a drafty, cold winter.
Perhaps your school is feeling like the mobile home this winter. Here are a few ways, on a shoestring, to increase what is referred to as human comfort while reducing your utility bills
• Start with caulk. On a day that is warm enough for caulk to set up (read manufacturer recommendations) caulk everything on your building’s exterior. You should be doing this once per year no matter what. If you have windows that operate check to see if they close all the way or not. Use caulk instead of spray foam insulation since the spray foam is usually not UV resistant. Check doors frames and the doors themselves. Walk around your building and on the roof, caulking roof and wall penetrations.

• Humidify. Adding humidity to dry winter indoor air will increase comfort more than any other fix. The added benefit to humidity is that it will decrease the spread of bacteria and viruses via the nasal passages. It will reduce that irritating static also. Building humidifiers are typically not inexpensive but are an excellent investment. No matter the type of humidifier you’re using, make sure you’re using an anti-bacterial/mold agent in the water. A note of caution: you need to watch to ensure you aren’t creating condensation problems by adding humidity. If condensation occurs on the inside of (particularly single pane) windows for instance, you’ll want to reduce the use of humidifiers until you get older windows replaced.

• Doors may have a weatherstripping gap at the latch mechanism part of the door frame, especially if it’s aluminum storefront. There is a door hardware plate that will help with air infiltration. Other weatherstripping issues at doors typically involve the frames. Since most schools have hollow metal frames, see if you can tell if the frames have been grouted. If not they are going to be leaking lots of air. Even though it’s messy, if you drill small holes in the gypsum board around the edge of the frame and fill the frame with spray foam insulation you’ll be helping the R value of the door. Make sure you know whether or not you have a rated door and frame assembly because if you do you should NOT put spray foam insulation in the cavity; grout will most likely be required by code. Are your doors thermally broken? If you purchase new doors make sure they are.

• The other issue to consider with doors is how well they fit in their frame. Buildings settle or heave. When the frame moves the door doesn’t always follow suit. If you have a hollow metal door and frame your facilities people will need to adjust the door as best possible. Install door sweeps and thresholds to alleviate the largest source of drafts – the bottom of the door.

• Roof insulation is the best and cheapest way to reduce your heating/cooling bills. Add additional roof insulation if you’re able. Remember not to pack insulation – it works by trapping air, if you jam the insulation in it won’t be as effective. Blown-in insulation works really well, especially if you have tight spaces but don’t use blown-in if you need to access those insulated areas, it will get walked on and packed down. If you can’t access roof cavities, or if there is no space to add insulation, then check to see if your ducts are insulated, both supply and returns. Check for insulation on upper walls between ceilings and roof decks. If it’s not there you should add it.

• HVAC – use multi-stage furnace and use equipment that will pre-condition your intake air. Newer equipment is so much more energy-efficient that older equipment, put your equipment on a replacement schedule. HVAC fixes tend to cost more but also provide big savings. Maybe this is one for your long-range facilities planning.

• Water heating – insulate water heaters. Boilers and water heaters should be drained annually to reduce gunk in the bottom of the tanks. Quite often water heaters and boilers are located in unheated parts of buildings. See if there is a way to reduce heating load on water heaters in unheated spaces.

• Maybe you have old windows, and maybe your windows are single pane. Older buildings with double-hung windows typically have a gap where the top and the bottom meet; it can be up to ¼ inch. Sometimes windows don’t shut all the way, or the upper part keeps slipping down. Old wood windows can warp, and old metal windows can rust. Determine where your leaks are using a lit candle you blow out, watching the smoke. You can buy “canned smoke”, you shake and spray the can. If you see a lot of air movement either caulk and/or install weatherstripping. Use backer rod if you have large gaps to fill.
There are companies who specialize in energy performance contracting. They’ll help your school district with the above energy savings initiatives and more, and they will structure a program where the savings will pay back the cost of the work. The link below has a good description of energy performance contracting.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/spp_res/Introduction_to_Performance_Contracting.pdf

Energy Efficiency Measures for Schools

If you look at a typical school district budget, facilities operations and maintenance costs are one of the big-ticket items. What if you could decrease the amount your school district spends on utilities?
Is your school energy-efficient? If your school is typical, your power usage goes up every year. Has your school instigated an energy-savings program? It can be as simple as starting a student green club. The students can provide a watt-watching program for your school. Let’s look at some ways schools experience increased power usage and some strategies to help decrease utility costs:
• Start an energy conservation education campaign. Involve the whole school.
• Schools have more computers now than ever. Rather than use screen savers, which don’t save much energy, put computers on “sleep” which will help. Also start a program to turn all computers off when not in use.
• What gets measured gets saved. Have a committee that tracks where lights are being left turned on unnecessarily. Many schools submitted for ARRA funding for projects to have motion sensor lights installed. Students are especially good at being the “lighting police”.
• Make sure HVAC equipment has clean filters and is operating correctly. Newer HVAC systems tend to have programming available that will help with occupied/unoccupied cycles. Have your facilities staff ensure the building HVAC controls are programmed to provide unoccupied settings appropriate for energy savings.
• Are doors being left open during lunch, recess, before and after school? Note problem areas and have students help with efforts to keep doors shut. Or think about adding a vestibule.
• Green in a Box was discussed in a previous blog. You can use the school walkthrough to help target the overall school for individual measures.
• eQuest energy modeling software was reviewed in a previous blog. Model your buildings using eQuest for a benchmark; then compare the benchmark to your actual building. You can come up with a list and the priorities for energy efficiency improvements.
• I drove past a school last week and the lights were on late at night. The custodial staff was cleaning. A new trend in energy savings is to accomplish school janitorial services during the day. If your school is heavily used in the evenings for community events this won’t work, but hopefully if your school is used in the evenings you’re getting rent for your facility to offset utility costs. In any case you’ll want to ensure you’re heating/cooling your building only when needed.
• Use a kill-a-watt meter to determine electricity usage. They cost $30 each, you plug them in and see how much energy you’re using on any given appliance.
• Ask teachers to reduce their in-classroom appliances or take them home. There has been a trend in recent years to have refrigerators, coffee makers, toaster ovens, and other appliances in the classroom. Besides creating an environment for insects and other pests, this creates a lot of extra drain on electricity. When you do purchase appliances, purchase Energy Star appliances.
• Use daylight harvesting (daylighting). How many schools operate with blinds or curtains shut? There are other benefits to providing natural daylight in lieu of electric lighting.
Also look for energy efficiency funding through federal, state, and local entities. Most states and many utility companies have programs that will help schools.
http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/tools/funding.htm