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"Sustainability is at the core of our mission," said Gavin Dillingham, PH. D., manager of the Energy and Sustainability department for HISD. "We know that all HISD schools can produce optimum learning environments under a LEED program. Building and maintaining high-performance buildings is very important in allowing the District to reduce its energy and water consumption and to lower maintenance costs over the long-term."
Today, Berry Elementary School is an example of the district’s commitment to high-performance campuses. The Gensler Architect design firm now is awaiting confirmation of LEED® Gold certification from the USGBC for the new Berry campus. The LEED® goals for this campus included a 38% reduction in previous water use and a 24% reduction in previous energy consumption.
Participating in LEED® is not restricted to new school construction. There is a program that can incorporate existing HISD buildings. There is also a special operations and maintenance program. The LEED® Green Building Rating System is the national benchmark for design, construction, and operations of high-performance green buildings.
Many other HISD campuses are active in the movement for lowered environmental impact and efficient operation. The participating elementary schools include Almeda, Crockett, Cunningham, DeChaumes, Gregg, Herod, Horn, Lewis, Patterson, Peck, Billy K. Reagan K-8 Educational Center, Theodore Roosevelt, Sherman/ Crawford, and Southmayd. Henry W. Grady Middle School is also on board.
For Robert C. Patterson Elementary, a literature magnet school, the road to LEED® Silver was slightly different for the Construction and Facility Services (CFS) Team. "The demands on participating schools to conserve water, recycle, and use energy efficiently are major themes of the LEED® program," says, CFS Construction Services Senior Manager Travis Stanford. His team members included Construction Services Representative Ronnie Pendleton and the architectural/ engineering team. They sought out a new construction design for the Patterson campus that incorporated:
The inauguration of The Green School Challenge by HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier, is a reinforcement of the Energy and Sustainability mission to develop and implement smart energy procurement and energy efficiency projects for all campuses and administrative areas.
The Green School Challenge, along with the Better Building Challenge, a program to make participating buildings 20% more energy efficient by Year 2020, are becoming more popular with students as the concepts work their way into the curricula of participating schools.
The district has committed to participate in Better Buildings Challenge program through year 2016. CFS will showcase projects that are currently participating in the energy performance contracting, as well as include the new LEED buildings, particularly those buildings that are replacing existing schools. Through performance contracting, as well as new LEED certified buildings, the energy cost savings expected should reach save 20%. This will allow the district to build new facilities and operate more schools with lowered energy consumption.
HISD Focuses on Green Schools
The LEED® program by the USGBC opens doors for improving resource use and lowering costs
The seed was planted just five short years ago for a 'Green' building to replace the existing Berry Elementary School. Houston designers Tom McKittrick and Barry Moore worked with the University of Houston School of Architecture in a university study to explore the possibility of a new "green" school. Environmental friendly designs were becoming practical, and the new building would be built using LEED® certification criteria. LEED® stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is an important moniker in environmentally conscious construction developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)."Sustainability is at the core of our mission," said Gavin Dillingham, PH. D., manager of the Energy and Sustainability department for HISD. "We know that all HISD schools can produce optimum learning environments under a LEED program. Building and maintaining high-performance buildings is very important in allowing the District to reduce its energy and water consumption and to lower maintenance costs over the long-term."
Today, Berry Elementary School is an example of the district’s commitment to high-performance campuses. The Gensler Architect design firm now is awaiting confirmation of LEED® Gold certification from the USGBC for the new Berry campus. The LEED® goals for this campus included a 38% reduction in previous water use and a 24% reduction in previous energy consumption.
Participating in LEED® is not restricted to new school construction. There is a program that can incorporate existing HISD buildings. There is also a special operations and maintenance program. The LEED® Green Building Rating System is the national benchmark for design, construction, and operations of high-performance green buildings.
Many other HISD campuses are active in the movement for lowered environmental impact and efficient operation. The participating elementary schools include Almeda, Crockett, Cunningham, DeChaumes, Gregg, Herod, Horn, Lewis, Patterson, Peck, Billy K. Reagan K-8 Educational Center, Theodore Roosevelt, Sherman/ Crawford, and Southmayd. Henry W. Grady Middle School is also on board.
For Robert C. Patterson Elementary, a literature magnet school, the road to LEED® Silver was slightly different for the Construction and Facility Services (CFS) Team. "The demands on participating schools to conserve water, recycle, and use energy efficiently are major themes of the LEED® program," says, CFS Construction Services Senior Manager Travis Stanford. His team members included Construction Services Representative Ronnie Pendleton and the architectural/ engineering team. They sought out a new construction design for the Patterson campus that incorporated:
- 78% day lighting for learning spaces.
- 19% reduction in previous energy consumption.
- 37% reduction in previous water consumption.
The inauguration of The Green School Challenge by HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier, is a reinforcement of the Energy and Sustainability mission to develop and implement smart energy procurement and energy efficiency projects for all campuses and administrative areas.
The Green School Challenge, along with the Better Building Challenge, a program to make participating buildings 20% more energy efficient by Year 2020, are becoming more popular with students as the concepts work their way into the curricula of participating schools.
The district has committed to participate in Better Buildings Challenge program through year 2016. CFS will showcase projects that are currently participating in the energy performance contracting, as well as include the new LEED buildings, particularly those buildings that are replacing existing schools. Through performance contracting, as well as new LEED certified buildings, the energy cost savings expected should reach save 20%. This will allow the district to build new facilities and operate more schools with lowered energy consumption.