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Skyline High School
SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL Perhaps the best byproduct of the current sustainable design movement has been the Integrated Design Process. This process involves a collaborative approach between Owner, Architect, Engineer and Constructor that largely did not exist in the past. It has changed the face of construction, delivering smarter, more efficient buildings through a front-loaded process where goals and synergies are quickly established and carried throughout the project. In some cases, broad scale efficiencies can be yielded with this approach. In most cases, the efficiencies achieved are more discreet, but when considered in total, the overall impact can be quite significant. Ann Arbor Public Schools had serious overcrowding issues at the district’s two main high schools. With dozens of inefficient portable classrooms, they were faced with less than ideal conditions for many of their students. The district developed a Bond Issue for a new high school along with improvements for the rest of the schools and the progressive Ann Arbor community approved the bond. The proposed new high school was presented to the community as a sustainable building with the condition that it would be LEED Certified. The program included “green premium” funds both for the site and the mechanical/electrical systems. Since the team was assembled in the earliest part of the programming process, goals were set with regard to site/stormwater expectations and mechanical systems. A heavy focus was on the goal of creating a state-of-the-art learning facility that would incorporate smaller learning communities. A district-wide Magnet Program that would avail special learning opportunities for all AAPS young adults was also a priority. One of the Magnet Programs was determined early in the process to have an environmental component. This has become the Design, Technology and Environmental Planning program. The team’s goals for the building’s sustainable design were broken down into two major categories: conservation and energy efficiency. With regard to conservation, the team focused on habitat, the natural features of the site, use of stormwater for irrigation, overall potable water use reduction, construction waste recycling, recycled content, local materials and indoor air quality. Planning started with the site itself, a piece of land that the school district had owned since 1969 for the specific purpose of building a new high school. Its wooded terrain, pond and creek had become an impromptu park for nearby neighborhoods and an ersatz nature center for the school district. The 120-acre site had become a valuable community asset over time, and it was the design team’s charge to properly locate a new high school with all of its external functions while preserving much of the site’s natural features. Located like a bulls eye near the center of the site was a pond with a thriving amphibious population. Directly to the North was a large oak/hickory wooded area. To the South was a wetland with Newport Creek running through it, along with a sizable maple woodlot. The site terraced down from the North to the South, with the creek at the lowest spot. The design team quickly produced multiple site layouts. Working with not only the school district but with nearby community members, it was determined that the two woodlots, the wetland and the creek needed to be preserved, leaving an area of scrub growth between for building development. The pond was a greater challenge. In the end, it was determined that the pond should be relocated, rather than left in its original location. Environmentalists and design team members felt that surrounding the pond with development would almost ensure its demise. Thousands of frogs, toads, snakes, newts and salamanders were collected and “hotelled” during the pond relocation at the Detroit Zoological Park. With the help of a team of environmentalists, a new pond was created utilizing muck, water and plants from the original pond. The animals were reintroduced the following spring, and the pond became vibrant and full of life that same year. The relocated pond and its inhabitants continue to thrive in this manner today. The terracing nature of the site lent it to several solutions that befitted the sustainable effort. The team addressed the stormwater issue through the implementation of a series of terracing ponds. These ponds treat the water on its way to Newport Creek by allowing sediment and other suspended solids to settle before the water reaches the creek. The pond system was designed to keep the runoff rate the same as its predevelopment rate. The ponds are also the source for the site’s irrigation water, eliminating the need for potable water use. The design team worked to minimize the building’s visual impact and footprint, while increasing its energy efficiency. All factors pointed toward a four-story solution in lieu of a more typical two-story building. Because of the relatively small footprint, the team took advantage of the terracing site, and built the school into a hill, effectively creating a large “walk-out basement.” This lowered the visual mass of the building and prevented it from overwhelming the site. The act of stacking the building and sinking it into the ground contributed to the team’s efforts to create an energy efficient building. By implementing a four-story configuration, to the footprint was reduced by almost 100,000 square feet and the total building envelope (skin) by 15%. This reduction came out of the roof area as well, resulting in reduced solar heat gain during summer months and reduced heat loss in the winter. The reduced roof area is complimented with the use of a white roof membrane that helps reduce solar heat gain as well as quickly shedding any absorbed energy. These architectural efforts, coupled with the horizontal closed loop geo-thermal heat pump system with energy recovery, resulted in a 44% reduction in energy use when compared to the stringent ASHRAE 90.1 performance requirements. The horizontal loop was chosen for this project because it was more cost effective and because of the available land that the school’s athletic fields provided. Buried beneath the baseball fields, softball fields, football fields, campus green and a portion of the student parking lot, is a network of nearly ninety miles of piping. This piping uses the ground as a heat sink for the heat pumps, shedding excess heat in the summer and gaining thermal energy in the winter. The heat pumps are complimented with an energy recovery system that runs exhaust air past a heat exchanger that pre-treats incoming fresh air. This passive system reduces the amount of heat pump work needed to temper the air. This is valuable in light of fresh air requirements and maintenance of proper indoor air quality. The design team also included a Commissioning Agent who assisted throughout the entire building process, ensuring that the systems were designed to the school district’s best advantage, and that they operated as designed after installation. An enhanced system of measurement and verification was added to the Building Management System, allowing the operations personnel to maintain these systems at optimal function. All of these factors tied together to result in a very energy efficient building. With their desire to create a state-of-the-art learning facility came the district’s need to have the building’s architecture compliment the learning environment. Well-outfitted and flexible spaces were a given, but the design team sought to go beyond those parameters. Building designers considered recent research studies linking student performance and indoor environmental quality, for example. During the design phase, the team selected materials and finishes that would not adversely affect the indoor air quality. Mechanical systems were designed to maximize fresh air delivery while maintaining efficiency. During construction, steps were taken to minimize dust and debris. Ductwork was sealed and protected and the building went through an extended two-week flush-out period prior to occupancy. Other conservation-minded features of Skyline High School include waterless urinals and other water saving fixtures that reduce water consumption by over 34%. Almost 83% of all construction waste was recycled. Skyline earned both available LEED credits for recycled content in building materials. Finally, 24% of all building materials came from within a 500-mile radius of the site, enhancing the regional economy and reducing fuel consumption during shipping. Skyline High School’s Silver LEED certification is one of only a handful of comprehensive high schools in the country with this designation, and only the second in Michigan. Among other honors, the LEED certification stands as a testament to the commitment that Ann Arbor Public Schools has to its community. After negotiations with Ann Arbor Park District and City personnel, the building is available as a resource to the community, further increasing its value and reducing the need for other facilities with similar amenities. Project Description:
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