secondary schools

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Acoustic Comfort Aesthetic Challenges Within This Page Overview

Seco ndary scho o l buildings pro vide the setting fo r the seco nd phase o f a child's fo rmal, co mpulso ry educatio n in the United Building Attributes States—high scho o l o r grades 9 thro ugh 12. The Elementary and Emerging Issues Seco ndary Educatio n Act (ESEA), first enacted in 19 6 5 and Relevant Codes and recently reautho rized by the No Child Left Behind Act , is the Standards principal federal law that affects kindergarten thro ugh 12th grade Major Resources (K-12). The Who le Building Design Guide includes junio r o r "co mmunity" co lleges in the seco ndary scho o l catego ry. Junio r co lleges and high scho o ls are similar in scale and co nnectio n to the co mmunity. Indeed, junio r co lleges o ften serve as bridges between high scho o l and a fo ur-year co llege o r university.

Aesthetic Opportunities Balancing Security/Safety and Sustainability Objectives Daylighting VIEW ALL RELAT ED (15) VIEW RESO URCE PAG E INDEX

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Secondary School

by Ellen Larson Vaughan, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. Last updated: 05-25-2010

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BUILDING AT T RIBUT ES Like elementary scho o ls, seco ndary scho o l buildings have the po tential to enhance o r undermine the learning pro cess. They need to be co mfo rtable, healthful, safe, and secure. Junio r co lleges and high scho o ls, o ften intended as jo int-use facilities fo r o ther co mmunity pro grams, must pro vide accessibility, flexibility, and durability. Because o f year-ro und use, it is particularly impo rtant to manage o peratio nal co sts, and that requires life-cycle co st analysis . While all K12 scho o ls to day need to acco mmo date co mputers, seco ndary scho o ls have greater need fo r integrated techno lo gies that suppo rt mo re so phisticated curricula and perfo rmance arts. Seco ndary scho o ls

Brunswick High School—Brunswick, Maine The site plan for this 1200- student

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are mo re likely to be used fo r co mmunity events, fro m public meetings o r perfo rmances in the audito rium, to athletic co mpetitio ns in the gymnasium, o r the natato rium.

A. Types of Spaces Fundamental space types fo r elementary scho o ls include, but are no t limited to :

The site plan for this 1200- student school is a model of environmental responsiveness. Thirty percent of the total site area has been retained in its natural state. Water runoff is also strictly controlled. The water detention area, holding tank, wetlands, and ponds treat the water effectively and at the same time serve as a first rate environmental education lab for students.

Administrative Offices Audito rium/Perfo rming Arts Art facilities Cafeteria—In seco ndary scho o ls, the cafeteria o ften do ubles as the audito rium, aka "cafeto rium."

Classro o m—Daylighting is mo st impo rtant in classro o ms, where mo st teaching and learning o ccurs.

Co mmo n areas/co urtyards Gymnasium Health Services Lo bby—Scho o ls o ften sho wcase team tro phies in the fo yer.

Media Center—Scho o ls are changing traditio nal libraries into media centers, adapting to new techno lo gy, as well as to o ther issues such as co mfo rt, flexibility, and maximum use o f space.

Multipurpo se Ro o ms Music Educatio n Restro o ms Science Facilities Swimming Facilities

B. Design Considerat ions Acce ssibilit y Design spaces to meet the specific needs o f students and teachers with disabilities. See Americans with Disabilities Act . Refer to ADA Standards fo r Accessible Design The United States Access Bo ard, which suppo rts ADA implementatio n, reco gnizes that po o r aco ustics also have a negative impact o n hearing-impaired students. ANSI/ASA Standard S12.6 0 -20 0 2, Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools, specifies aco ustical perfo rmance criteria fo r learning spaces.

Design fo r future flexibility, which enables spaces to be easily mo dified.

See also : WBDG "Plan fo r Flexibility: Be Pro active " Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities PDFmyURL.com

ADA Accessibility Guidelines fo r Play Areas Ae st he t ics The impo rtance o f the physical appearance o f a public scho o l sho uld no t be minimized. A scho o l building that is attractive and respo nds to and is co nsistent with the design and co ntext o f the neighbo rho o d, builds a sense o f pride and o wnership amo ng students, teachers, and the co mmunity. The exterio r sho uld co mplement the neighbo rho o d and reflect the co mmunity's values. The interio r sho uld enhance the learning pro cess.

Bring the co mmunity into the planning pro cess thro ugh an integrated design pro cess.

Pro vide an interio r enviro nment that is visually co mfo rtable and stimulating by pro viding ample natural light and inco rpo rating co lo rs that stimulate o r so o the, depending o n the space functio n.

Design fo r diffuse, unifo rm daylight thro ugho ut classro o ms.

Avo id glare and direct-beam sunlight.

Use daylighting analysis to o ls to mo del the interactio n o f lighting and materials that reflect o r abso rb light.

Co st -Ef f e ct ive Scho o l districts typically separate their capital and o perating budgets and therefo re have little incentive to facto r in the lo ng-term co st o f a building when making decisio ns abo ut its design and co nstructio n. Ho wever, to reduce the to tal co st o f o wning a building while ensuring its quality, it is necessary to balance the initial design and co nstructio n co sts with the co st o f lighting, heating, co o ling, repairing and o therwise o perating and maintaining the facility.

Select building elements o n the basis o f life-cycle co st analysis—Mirro r the lifespan o f pro jects and systems with the expected lifespan o f the facility.

Co nsider the recyclability o f materials.

Specify materials and pro ducts that are easy to maintain (balance this with their impact o n children's health and the enviro nment).

Utilize life-cycle co st analysis to o ls.

Co mmissio n the facility to ensure that it o perates in a manner co nsistent with design intent.

Use energy simulatio n and analysis to o ls to o ptimize energy perfo rmance (integrate daylighting systems, high-perfo rmance HVAC, energy-efficient building shell, and high-perfo rmance electric lighting)

Briscoe Junior High School —Rosenberg, Texas Durable concrete masonry balances the extended design life inside and outside this 600,000 SF building, using approximately 925,000 concrete masonry units to resist weather and day- to- day potential for occupant wear and tear.

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Funct io nal To fo ster students' sense o f co mmunity and individuality: Cluster classro o ms aro und co mmo n areas.

Co nnect spaces visually with co lo rs and patterns.

Pro vide platfo rm spaces fo r gathering, sitting, and presenting and alco ves fo r reading and studying.

Co nsider Educatio nal Co mmissio ning™ where all o ccupants are educated o n the intent o f the design elements and kno w ho w to use the facility o ptimally fo r teaching and learning.

This pro cess can be mo re so phisticated fo r higher grades.

Decentralize administrative spaces to enco urage active leadership and maximize interactio n with students.

Pro vide a "ho me base" fo r each student and teacher.

To ensure flexibility and adaptability fo r changing pro grams and enro llments: Use o perable walls to increase the efficiency o f large, multipurpo se spaces, such as the cafeteria and gymnasium.

Acco mmo date techno lo gy upgrades.

Allo w classro o ms to change with the activity and gro up size. This is particularly impo rtant in primary scho o ls, where students typically stay in o ne ro o m with o ne teacher thro ugho ut much o f the day.

Hist o ric Pre se rvat io n Histo ric scho o l buildings—tho se that are 50 years o f age o r o lder—typically were the centers o f their co mmunities and were designed to o ptimize natural ventilatio n and daylighting.

Co mmunities sho uld study the histo ry o f their scho o ls and beco me invo lved in the planning o f new scho o ls in o rder to make wise decisio ns regarding reno vatio n versus new co nstructio n. All o f the pro s and co ns o f reno vating an o ld scho o l sho uld be weighed, such as: Structural integrity Co mmunity access Building o rientatio n—so lar access Daylighting o ppo rtunities (i.e., large windo ws) and po ssible barriers (multi-sto ry buildings) Other features that enhance o r hinder visual/thermal/aco ustic co mfo rt Po tential to upgrade fo r energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety and security, and techno lo gy Aesthetics Co mmunity landmark; histo ric significance Pro ximity to residential neighbo rho o ds (po tential fo r walking/bicycling to scho o l) Site preservatio n vs. disturbance Fo r info rmatio n abo ut preserving, rehabilitating, resto ring, o r reco nstructio n histo ric buildings see WBDG Histo ric Preservatio n Branch .

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Pro duct ive Seco ndary scho o ls sho uld enhance the health and pro ductivity o f students, teachers, and staff.

Make daylighting a prio rity, especially in classro o ms. See U.S. DOE Energy Design Guidelines fo r High Perfo rmance Scho o ls. Daylighting is the controlled admissio n o f natural light into a space. Glare and ho t spo ts can undermine the learning pro cess. Studies sho w a po sitive co rrelatio n between daylighting and student perfo rmance.

Integrate daylighting with high-efficient electric lighting and co ntro ls to o ptimize visual co mfo rt.

Use natural ventilatio n when po ssible. (This and daylighting also pro vide a co nnectio n to the o utdo o rs.)

Ensure aco ustical co mfo rt. Po o r classro o m aco ustics are mo re than merely anno ying, they can disrupt learning.

Ensure superio r indo o r air quality. Co nsider displacement ventilatio n systems .

Ensure thermal co mfo rt. "Right size" HVAC systems to keep humidity in the co mfo rt zo ne.

Embrace the co ncept o f the building as a teaching to o l (aka a 3-D textbo o k o r living lab).

Co nnect the indo o r enviro nment to the o utdo o rs by pro viding o perable view windo ws in classro o ms and easy access fro m classro o ms to gardens and o ther o utdo o r areas that can be utilized in the curriculum.

Se cure / Saf e Pro viding safe scho o ls sho uld be a high prio rity.

Maximize visual access to co rrido rs and scho o l gro unds.

Increase o ccupants' sense o f o wnership and "territo riality" by pro viding co mfo rtable, no t institutio nal, ro o ms and by clearly defining the scho o l bo undaries.

Co ntro l access to the building and gro unds by individuals and vehicles.

Use durable, no n-to xic building materials .

Pro vide shelter in cases o f emergency. See FEMA 428 —Primer to Design Safe Scho o l Pro jects in Case o f Terro rist Attacks and FEMA Safe Ro o ms and Co mmunity Shelters Case Studies.

Acco mmo date safe egress fro m the building in case o f emergency.

Newberg High School Addition/Renovation —Newberg, Oregon Sustainable features in this flexible, multiuse Student Commons area include: ample daylighting, natural ventilation, recycled materials including bamboo in the courtyard, and exterior sunshades.

Architect: BOORA Architects, Photographer: Michael Mathers

Sust ainable Use energy, water, and o ther reso urces efficiently.

Integrate renewable energy strategies, including passive so lar design and, where appro priate, so lar thermal and pho to vo ltaics.

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Integrate high-perfo rmance mechanical and lighting systems.

Co nserve and pro tect natural areas.

Inco rpo rate materials and pro ducts derived fro m sustainable-yield pro cesses and/o r are manufactured lo cally.

Pro vide o ppo rtunities fo r safe walking and bicycling to scho o l.

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EMERGING ISSUES Like elementary scho o ls, the challenge in seco ndary scho o l design is to inco rpo rate highperfo rmance design features and techno lo gy cost-effectively . But high scho o ls and junio r co lleges have even mo re so phisticated techno lo gy needs. So me scho o l designs are featuring wireless hubs instead o f co mputer labs. Netwo rk reliability is critical. Media centers will have mo re info rmatio n techno lo gy and fewer bo o ks.

Jo int-use facilities are mo re co mmo n. Opening scho o ls to the co mmunity dramatically decreases the develo pment fo o tprint because co mmunities are co nstructing and maintaining fewer buildings and parking. This co nserves land, building materials, energy and o ther reso urces, and enhances the value o f civic life.

In high scho o ls, gro uping and separating spaces fo r public functio ns facilitates access, impro ves security, and allo ws fo r HVAC zo ning to co ntro l energy co sts. Co mmunity-shared spaces also require upho lstered, co mfo rtable seating. Visito rs need co nvenient, well-lit parking areas. Co lo r co ding serves a useful purpo se in seco ndary scho o ls as well as elementary scho o ls, but signage is particularly impo rtant fo r public events.

Co nsider security screening techno lo gy fo r seco ndary scho o l students in additio n to visito rs.

Sufficient entries are needed to prevent co ngestio n but these must be supervised. To co unter crime and vandalism, facilities sho uld integrate techno lo gy with security-based design strategies such as appro priate landscaping.

Scientists, planners, design pro fessio nals, public o fficials, scho o l administrato rs, parents, teachers, and students are info rming the current dialo gue abo ut o ptimal scho o l design: Scientists who study the "neuro science o f learning" are finding that certain lighting, aco ustics, and spatial relatio nships suppo rt o r hinder the learning pro cess.

Planners and designers are invo lving co mmunity stakeho lders in their design decisio ns and spurring the develo pment o f jo int-use facilities that are centers o f the co mmunity. Scho o l districts are serving co mmunities that are increasingly multi-cultural and multi-lingual.

Co ncerns abo ut safety and security (within the scho o l and within the co mmunity) are mo re acute than ever, pro mpting inno vative thinking abo ut design strategies that minimize the impact o f natural and manmade hazards. Scho o ls with back-up, o ff-grid, renewable po wer systems can do uble as emergency shelters. See NREL So lar Secure Scho o ls: Strategies and Guidelines.

State and lo cal o fficials are reco gnizing that scho o l facilities—the physical buildings—are impo rtant to their pro grammatic success. Several states have established new design PDFmyURL.com

guidelines and requirements fo r "high-perfo rmance" scho o ls who se features pro mo te student/teacher health and pro ductivity, co st-effectiveness, and sustainability.

Scho o l administrato rs, parents, teachers, and students are fo cused o n meeting new testing standards, which calls fo r an enhanced learning enviro nment with state-o f-the-art techno lo gy and co mfo rt co ntro l systems.

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RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS Organiz at ions Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities (NCEF)—Spo nso red by the U.S. Department o f Educatio n and managed by the Natio nal Institute o f Building Sciences, NCEF is the wo rld's largest repo sito ry o f info rmatio n abo ut Pre-K to 12 scho o l planning, designing, funding, building, impro vement, and maintenance.

Federal Government ADA Accessibility Guidelines fo r Building Elements Designed fo r Children's Use Department o f Defense: 10 U.S.C. 216 4. Department o f Defense Do mestic Dependent Elementary and Seco ndary Scho o ls U.S. EPA EnergyStar—ENERGY STAR fo r K-12 Scho o l Districts Energy Design Guidelines fo r High Perfo rmance Scho o ls Additio nal Federal Go vernment Reso urces

St at e Resources Califo rnia—Divisio n o f the State Architect— Incentives fo r Sustainable Scho o ls Massachusetts Techno lo gy Co llabo rative—Green Scho o ls Initiative New Jersey—Scho o ls Develo pment Autho rity Additio nal State Reso urces

Privat e Sect or ANSI/ASA Standard S12.60-2002, Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools by Aco ustical So ciety o f America ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

by American So ciety o f Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Co nditio ning Engineers ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62-2001, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality So ciety o f Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Co nditio ning Engineers

by American

ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings by American So ciety o f Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Co nditio ning Engineers BACK TO TO P

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MAJOR RESOURCES WBDG Building / Space Types Yo uth Centers, Educatio nal Facilities, Child Care, Clinic / Health Unit , Co nference / Classro o m , Office Design Objectives Functio nal / Operatio nal , Pro ductive, Secure / Safe , Sustainable Project Management Building Co mmissio ning

Federal Agencies Department o f Defense Scho o ls A Study o f Scho o ls Serving Military Families in the U.S. Statement o f the Natio nal Military Family Asso ciatio n Department o f the Interio r / Bureau o f Indian Affairs / Bureau o f Indian Educatio n Federal Emergency Management Administratio n FEMA 424 Design Guide fo r Scho o l Safety Against Earthquakes, Flo o ds, and High Winds FEMA 428 Primer to Design Safe Scho o l Pro jects in Case o f Terro rist Attacks FEMA 453 Design Guidance fo r Shelters and Safe Ro o ms U.S. Department o f Educatio n U.S. Department o f Energy Energy Design Guidelines fo r High Perfo rmance Scho o ls Natio nal Best Practices Manual fo r Building High Perfo rmance Scho o ls U.S. Enviro nmental Pro tectio n Agency Energy Star fo r K-12 Scho o l Districts Healthy Scho o l Enviro nments

Privat e Sect or AIA Co mmittee o n Architecture fo r Educatio n Co llabo rative fo r High Perfo rmance Scho o ls (CHPS)—Reso urces fo r high perfo rmance scho o l design, co nstructio n, o peratio ns, and maintenance.

Co uncil o f Educatio nal Facility Planners Internatio nal DesignShare Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities (NCEF) PDFmyURL.com

Natio nal Summit o n Scho o l Design —o rganized by American Architectural Fo undatio n and Kno wledgeWo rks Fo undatio n Sustainable Buildings Industry Co uncil (SBIC)—Reso urces fo r high-perfo rmance scho o l building design and pro curement.

U.S. Green Building Co uncil—LEED-NC fo r K-12 Scho o ls Applicatio n Guide (in develo pment)—mo difies LEED fo r New Co nstructio n in reco gnitio n that scho o ls have unique characteristics and needs.

Publicat ions Building Type Basics for Elementary and Secondary Schools, 2nd Edition by Bradfo rd Perkins. New Yo rk, NY: Jo hn Wiley & So ns, Inc., 20 10 .

Daylighting in Schools by Hescho ng Maho ne Gro up, Pacific Gas & Electric , 19 9 9 .

High-Performance School Buildings Resource and Strategy Guide by Deane Evans, FAIA, and the Sustainable Buildings Industry Co uncil. Washingto n, DC: SBIC, 20 0 1 and 20 0 4.

National Best Practices Manual for Building High Performance Schools by U.S. Department o f Energy and Natio nal Renewable Energy Labo rato ry. 20 0 7.

Review and Assessment of the Health and Productivity Benefits of Green Schools: An Interim Report by Natio nal Academies Press . 20 0 6 .

Schools as Centers of Community; A Citizen's Guide for Planning and Design by Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities, Kno wledgeWo rks Fo undatio n, Building Educatio nal Success To gether, Co uncil o f Educatio nal Facility Planners Internatio nal, Co alitio n fo r Co mmunity Scho o ls. Washingto n, DC: 20 0 3.

See mo re reso urces in the Educatio nal Facilities Supplemental Reso urce List

Training Co llabo rative fo r High Perfo rmance Scho o ls High-Perfo rmance Scho o l Buildings Info rmatio n and Training Center, spo nso red by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Co uncil High-Perfo rmance Scho o l Buildings Wo rksho p, o ffered by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Co uncil High Perfo rmance Scho o l Design Online Training, spo nso red by the New Yo rk State Energy Research and Develo pment Autho rity

Point s of Cont act Judy Marks, Ho n. AIA, Asso ciate Directo r, Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities (NCEF at Natio nal Institute o f Building Sciences), 10 9 0 Vermo nt Avenue, NW, #70 0 , Washingto n, DC 20 0 0 5; Pho ne: 20 2-28 9 -78 0 0 ; Email: jmarks@nibs.o rg BACK TO TO P

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