The newest addition to the Toledo Public Schools (TPS), Hawkins Elementary School, is aiming to receive a Gold certification under the auspices of LEED for Schools, according to a recent article on Greenprofs.com.

The $11.4 million building was constructed as part of TPS’s Building for Success program, which aims to rebuild or renovate more than 50 area schools during a 12-year period. It opened in January.

The building was designed by The Collaborative, a consortium of local architectural and engineering firms formed to work together on the Building for Success program.

The 60,000 square foot building now houses almost 500 students, teachers and staff. Oriented to optimize the penetration of natural lighting into the building, the building also features a host of other measures that enhance its sustainability, including the integration of local materials into the building’s construction; high-efficiency windows; the recycling of 75 percent of the project’s waste during construction; an onsite helix turbine that helps light the lobby and corridors when light levels are low; a white reflective roof that reduces the building’s heat island effect; and an ice storage unit that allows the school to utilize ice as part of its cooling system.

Outside, a rain garden and bioswale filters storm water runoff, while inside the school utilizes low-flow water fixtures and waterless urinals. Together, these two water conservation measures allow Hawkins to save 40 percent of the water than a similar conventionally built facility would.

School officials hope that the building’s green features, as well as its location adjacent to the Toledo Botanical Garden, will help it act as a laboratory, educating students about environmental science and energy efficiency.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

A $20 million mental health care facility at the high-security Salinas Valley State Prison in California recently received a Silver certification under the auspices of LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC), according to a recent article.

The 36,000 square foot facility is the first new building in the state prison system to receive a LEED certification. The facility was recognized for both its green a cost-efficient features. For example, the facility is projected to reduce its water consumption by 56 percent compared to a similar conventionally built facility, while simultaneously reducing energy use by 37 percent and lower sewage conveyance by 70 percent through a state-of-the-art vacuum plumbing system.

The facility, which provides housing and inpatient mental health care for 74 residents, opened in April, 2009. The facility earned a score of 33 points from the LEED rating system, out of a possible 69 total points.

The facility’s LEED certification is part of a larger statewide initiative, spearheaded by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to certify all new state-owned facilities. In addition, though the construction of the facility predates the adoption of CALGREEN in January of this year, the building integrates measures that are compliant with both LEED and CALGREEN. Specifically, energy performance measures, construction waste management plans, and the reduction of water and material resource use, and building commissioning satisfy both certification systems, according to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) press release.

“CDCR has shown leadership in conserving energy on a grand scale, through reducing electricity usage to saving water,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate, in the press release. The Salinas Valley State Prison staff and contractors worked hard to make sure this new facility was LEED certified, our first prison to achieve such a designation in California. Our goal is to make all future prisons LEED certified, a standard.”

The facility was designed by Nacht & Lewis Architects of Sacramento.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Offering further proof that "sustainable" need not mean "spartan," a recently constructed luxury single-family home in the Southern California city of Costa Mesa has become the first custom residence in Orange County to receive LEED Platinum certification, according to a recent Jetson Green article.

Despite its generous size (5,000 square feet), the home exceeds the California Energy code by 40 percent and is not expected to generate an electricity bill outside of standard add-on fees, the article notes.

The 7 bedroom, 7 bathroom Costa Mesa Green Home, as the residence is known, was designed by architect David Gangloff, and is the brainchild of developers Steven and Karen Blanchard. Green aspects of the home’s design include durable, sustainable, and non-toxic materials; ventilation design that optimizes indoor air quality; use of high-efficiency HVAC equipment and Energy Star-rated lighting; construction with highly insulated walls and windows; a no-water, native landscaping scheme; and reuse of shower gray water for toilet and irrigation purposes. On the roof, solar photovoltaic panels power the home’s entire electrical load.

A showcase worthy of even the most discriminating buyer, the home is currently available for purchase.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

A new 7-Eleven in the central Florida town of DeLand aims to be the first outlet of the convenience store chain to achieve a LEED rating, according to a recent Creative Loafing article.

An adaptive reuse of an auto mechanic shop, the site surrounding what is now the 7-Eleven was previously covered in an impermeable asphalt surface. However, a third of the site now includes landscaping that includes drought-tolerant, native plants, and permeable surfaces. The plants are fed by an efficient drip irrigation system, while an outdoor eating area with cypress pergolas and arbors allows customers to enjoy the store’s leafy surroundings.

In addition to the building’s landscaping and irrigation system, DeLand’s new 7-Eleven stands out for other sustainable features, including light-colored concrete parking areas and roofing surfaces that work together to reduce the heat island effect; a high-efficiency HVAC system with a UV system that eliminates viruses, bacteria, and mold from interior air; LED signage and lighting that minimizes energy demand and heat output; skylights that bring natural light deep into the store’s interior; high-efficiency restroom fixtures; low-VOC interior finishes; and high-efficiency Greenblock Insulated Concrete Form walls, which also protect the building under extreme conditions, such as hurricane-force winds. In addition, many of the store’s construction materials were sourced from an area within a 500-mile radius, and much of the store’s construction contains recycled content. Half of the word used in the store was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the article notes.

The store was designed by architecture firm Burke Hogue Mills and TLC Engineering for Architecture of Orlando.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

The 177,000 square meter Qatar National Convention Center, currently under construction, will be seeking a Gold certification under the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) rating system upon its completion next year, according to a recent Inhabitat article on the building. If granted the certification, it will earn the distinction of being one of the world’s first high-performance green convention facilities.

The dramatic building—instantly recognizable for its superscale depiction of the sidra tree, a traditional Qatari symbol, along its front façade—will feature a whopping 3,700 square meters of solar panels, in addition to its other resource-saving features. Designed by Yamasaki Architects, the building is based on a concept by well-known Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and has a total budget of $720 million.

The building will contain 40,000 square meters of exhibition space; a conference hall for 4,000 delegates; a 2,300-seat lyric style theater; three additional tiered auditoria; theatre-style seating, and banquet space for up to 10,000 people in exhibition halls; a total of 57 meeting rooms; lounges and hospitality suites; a business center; and media rooms. The massive building is located in Education City, a new global educational hub under development.

The aforementioned rooftop solar panels will provide roughly 12 percent of the building’s total power, according to the article. Inside, the center will be outfitted with occupancy sensors, water-efficient fixtures, LED lighting, carbon dioxide monitors, and variable air-volume systems that minimize the use of resources and improve the center’s indoor air quality. The center will also boast a special wireless convention management system that reduces the need for paper while providing convention delegates with free Internet access.

Learn more about the Qatar National Convention Center on its website.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

The world headquarters of Caterpillar, maker of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines, recently received a Gold designation under the auspices of LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), according to a recent press release.

Located in downtown Peoria, Illinois, the building is the first in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area to earn the LEED-EB certification, and is the second Caterpillar building to earn the recognition, the article said. The Cat Financial Center in Nashville earned a LEED-EB certification in April of 2009.

Notable among the building’s sustainable retrofits: decreased energy consumption by 40 percent (or $800,000) through the use of improved control systems, operating methods, and lighting automation; a new irrigation system for all landscaped areas that cuts water use by 50 percent; a green cleaning program that employs new environmentally-friendly chemicals, and an improved pest management program that uses the least toxic methods available; and waste stream audits that help inform efforts toward reducing the company’s environmental impact.

“Every day members of Team Caterpillar look for opportunities to apply their expertise, technology and common sense to address environmental issues,” said Greg Folley, vice president of Caterpillar’s Human Services Division. “Successfully identifying and managing our environmental footprint reduces environmental impacts where we all live and work, makes good business sense and is simply the right thing to do for our community, employees, customers and shareholders.”

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com