Materials and Resources (MR)

The Materials and Resources credit category of LEED focuses on two main issues: the environmental impact of materials brought into the facility, and the minimization of landfill and incinerator disposal for materials taken out of the facility. The latest version places particular emphasis on the life-cycle impact of the materials.

Resilient Flooring Surfaces

Schools are, by virtue of their daily student use, a very high foot traffic building type. As such, the choice of flooring materials for common areas, such as hallways, large group rooms, and even individual classrooms, is important in terms of long-term wear and cleanliness. Resilient flooring is available in many forms with differing degrees of environmental impact. One that is being looked at more is rubber-based floor coverings. These durable flooring surfaces have been installed in schools and universities worldwide in gymnasiums, weight rooms, indoor and outdoor tracks, multipurpose rooms, classrooms, lobby areas, and locker rooms.

From an environmental standpoint, this type of flooring is available completely free of many of the things that designers are trying to keep out of green schools, such as PVC, chlorine, and heavy metals. That means this material doesn’t rely on those materials during its manufacture nor detract from a healthy indoor environment once it is in place. During its useful life, rubber flooring products are well known for reducing significantly the need for chemical cleaners for maintenance, further protecting the health of school occupants. At the end of its service life, it is also 100 percent recyclable, allowing it to become a new product and start a new service life. Because of its long life expectancy and lower maintenance costs, including the elimination of the need for waxing, rubber flooring is often shown to have a very low total life-cycle cost.

Beyond the attributes already mentioned, rubber flooring contributes in other ways to a positive school environment. It is a non-porous, durable material with outstanding wear and abrasion resistance, as well as stain and chemical resistance. It is dimensionally stable without the need to weld seams and can carry high static or rolling loads. From a human perspective, it provides a comfortable walking surface, some sound-deadening properties, and can even be specified with antibacterial/antimicrobial qualities. For safety, it has been shown to meet ADA slip-resistance requirements and is commonly Class 1 fire rated.

Photo courtesy of Mondo

Rubber flooring surfaces are resilient, highly durable, easy to maintain, and environmentally friendly, making them ideal for many school applications.

CASE STUDY: RESILIENT FLOORING AT HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A good example of incorporating green materials is the Sudbury Catholic District School Board in Ontario, Canada, which celebrated the grand opening of the pre-K to grade six Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School in September 2012. Students, faculty, and community members were pleased to see the state-of-the-art technology, eco-conscious design and equipment, vivid colors, and a solar collection system that was incorporated on the roofs of the new school. “With the modern technology and architecture, the Holy Cross Elementary School embodies the latest ideology for schools of the 21st Century,” says Denis Faucher, manager of facility services.

In order to maintain a sanitary environment for the young students, 3-millimeter-thick rubber flooring was installed throughout the school. Its anti-bacterial, anti-microbial properties are not only beneficial on a health level, the attractive colors made for eye-catching designs. “We used a lot of color cueing and created large patterns in the floor for direction,” says Amber Salach, project architect and lead design with Yallowega Béllanger Architecture. Faucher agrees. “There are several reasons we decided to install rubber flooring. From a budget factor, the floor is low maintenance and it is environmentally friendly. There is no need for harsh chemicals in the cleaning process. We also know that this product is recyclable.”

Photo courtesy of Mondo

From the moment people walk through the front doors of the Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School, they know they are in a special place.

Wall Surfaces

Adding visual interest or educational information to walls in schools has been a long-standing design objective. However, if school walls could talk, they would describe constant contact with students’ backpacks, computer bags, and feet, as well as tough blows from mobile classroom carts. These occurrences can cause scrapes and dents on wall surfaces and corners. Because of the abuse they receive, walls in classrooms, hallways, gyms, and cafeterias must be durable and easy to clean, requiring little to no maintenance. They must also be manufactured from material that is environmentally sound and maintains safe indoor air quality.

Until now, designers and architects have struggled to incorporate patterns and high-resolution graphics onto walls in busy school environments. In many cases, design and durability have been compromised with the use of limited-offering, Type-II (i.e. medium duty) vinyl wall coverings with graphic patterns or solid color or wood-grain materials that don’t withstand the extensive abuse. That has changed since new product offerings deliver all the functional elements required of walls in schools without compromising style. In fact, custom photos, wayfinding, mascots, logos, and other art can now be preserved on walls behind impact-resistant, environmentally preferable, rigid PETG (polyethylene terephthlate glycol-modified) plastic material that is PVC-free and contains no PBTs (persistent bioaccumulative toxic) and no halogenated or brominated fire retardants. Such a protective material acts as a shield that safeguards against damage, while making cleaning easy so walls look great during use.

The high-performance capabilities of a PETG protective wall covering means that the art has staying power in schools. “The hallways of our school get an A+ for design, function, and durability,” said Steven Fleming, principal of Pasadena Independent School District’s new Dr. Kirk Lewis Career & Technical High School in Texas. “Students are motivated and energized before they even enter the classroom. We rest easy knowing that custom walls can stand the test of time and of school wear and tear.”

Photo courtesy of Construction Specialties, Inc./Shau Lin Hon, Slyworks Photography

PETG protective coverings allow for art, information, wayfinding, and other custom or standard graphic information to contribute to the learning environment, while staying protected from damage.

CASE STUDY: WALL SURFACE GRAPHICS AT GARDENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

When the Pasadena Independent School District sought a new building to replace the original Gardens Elementary School, built in 1944, a central focus was placed on celebrating the strong school pride shared by its 700 students and 85 faculty members. Though the modern facility would look very different from the previous one, respect for the school’s heritage and enthusiasm for learning would always remain at Gardens Elementary. With this in mind, the design team, headed by SBWV Architects Inc., decided to cover the school’s entrance wall with an enormous mural of its mascot.

On Gardens Elementary School’s opening day in the winter of 2014, the students enthusiastically ran to touch the Garden Gator on the entrance wall as they arrived at their brand new school. Embedded behind impact-resistant, PVC-free rigid PETG material, the high-resolution art has its own clear, protective shield that safeguards it against damage and makes cleaning easy. “The mural was the final touch to our new school, and the protective covering allowed us to get the kids excited about the fresh start,” said Israel Grinberg, Pasadena Independent School District Construction Manager.

Photo courtesy of Construction Specialties, Inc./Jack Opatrany Photography

The Pasadena Independent School District in Pasadena, Texas, used a PETG protective covering to create a large mural of the school mascot.

Access Control

Schools require a lot of doors. They also require security at many or even all of those doors in the interest of safety, which is regularly on the mind of all school administrators and green school advocates. Further, exterior doors need to be able to seal tightly shut for energy conservation purposes but be easy to open and exit in all circumstances. Controlling the operation of doors then, is to control the flow of people coming into or exiting the building, while still meeting other needs. The means for achieving that often comes down to selecting both electronic and mechanical access control products that meet or exceed the requirements needed for K-12 schools.

Manufacturers of door control devices recognize both the common and unique demands of schools and offer a wide range of products accordingly. Electronic stand alone and wireless cylindrical and mortise locks are hot items with many school designers and managers since they can help secure doors remotely. Manual systems are still predominant, requiring key access with sophisticated systems in place to establish master keys, sub-master keys, etc. The trick to using both electronic and manual systems in the same building is the coordination between them, which means finding one manufacturer that does both should make everyone’s lives easier. Exit devices using concealed or surface-mounted hardware are usually paired with door closers all with a particular eye toward a consistent look and performance level throughout the facility. Door lever designs that are compliant with handicapped accessibility requirements and good security are often consistent between different series of products, from mortise to cylindrical, and finishes can be consistent for all category of products. But often it is the hardware performance over time that is of most interest with warranties and serviceability playing large roles in decision-making selections.

Photo courtesy of DORMA

School security is an important consideration that usually involves coordination of electronic and mechanical hardware in 21st century school design.

CASE STUDY: ACCESS CONTROL AT CHEROKEE CENTRAL SCHOOL

The architectural firm of Padgett and Freeman Architects, PA in Asheville, North Carolina, designed the Cherokee Central School in Cherokee, North Carolina, with green design and security in mind. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation witnessed a dream come true when K-12 students began the school year in a new $108 million, 473,000-square-foot complex. The Cherokee Central School is an all-encompassing campus with three schools, three gyms, an auditorium, community center, sports arena, cafeteria, and an array of state-of-the-art athletic fields.

The Cherokee Central School is one of the largest green schools east of the Mississippi. According to Caramaleta Monteith of the tribe’s school board, awareness of the school’s green features is built into cultural and environmental education so students will learn what it means to be “green” from direct experience.

From the outset, the school was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The list of green techniques and products used in construction is a long one. Thinking green started with how the structure would lie on the land and respect its natural surroundings. Energy conscious construction decisions followed. Passive solar heating and daylighting were designed into the buildings. A geothermal system provides heating. Captured rainwater contributes to water supplies used to flush toilets and irrigate the grounds. Ninety percent of construction waste was recycled.

In the interest of providing a safe, controlled learning environment, a variety of architectural hardware products were installed on internal and external doorways throughout the schools thus contributing to energy conservation, while providing durability, strength, reliability, and security. Closers, exit devices, pivots, locksets and keys, dead bolts, power supplies, and electro-magnetic door holders were all coordinated to work together to ensure that doorways are safe, secure, easy to use, and long lasting.

Photo courtesy of DORMA

The Cherokee Central School combines green school features with coordinated architectural hardware for mechanical and electronic access control.