Updated School Design in a Post-Pandemic World
ACOUSTIC CEILING CASE STUDY
Photo courtesy of © Dee Zunker
Project: Mae Smythe and Red Bluff Elementary Schools (PISD)
Location: Pasadena, Texas
The Project: The Pasadena Independent School District (PISD) in Texas recently completed two major rebuilding projects to better serve its growing population of pre-kindergarten to fourth grade students. Both the Red Bluff Elementary School and Mae Smythe Elementary School buildings originally opened in the 1950s and improvements were made through the decades. After 60 years of use, as well as withstanding hurricanes, the cost of repairing and renovating these campuses exceeded the cost of building new ones. The district received funding to embark on a multiphase, comprehensive update to replace the aging structures with larger, newly constructed, contemporary buildings within their existing campus footprints.
The Challenge: To ensure an ideal learning environment, the PISD’s goals for the new schools included healthy indoor air quality, energy-efficient operations, optimized acoustics, moisture and mold resistance, low-maintenance materials, and a modern, welcoming appearance. Since hurricanes, tropical storms, and humidity are as constant as the Texas heat, materials that resist the growth of mold, mildew, and potentially harmful microorganisms, but without the use of added antimicrobials, biocides or fungicides, were seen as most desirable. Furthermore, Class A fire ratings were required for this educational facility.
The Design Solution: Meeting all the facilities team’s criteria, the school district selected acoustic stone wool ceiling systems as the basis of design for both schools and for future PISD projects. Throughout the two new schools, acoustic stone wool, 2-by-2-foot ceiling panels were installed in 15/16-inch exposed suspension systems. The stone wool ceiling panels naturally resist the growth of mold, mildew, and other microorganisms. Stone wool ceiling panels achieve their Class A fire performance, thanks to withstanding temperatures up to 2150ºF, and do not create significant smoke that could obscure a safe exit in an emergency event.
Optimizing acoustics in the open shared areas, stone wool acoustic ceiling panels offer a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.85. This high level of sound absorption decreases reverberation and improves speech intelligibility for group communication. Using ceiling products with higher NRC ratings can also help with cost savings because fewer sound-absorbing products need to be installed to reach the goal level of absorption in the room.
The Results: Along with helping to keep students healthy and safe, the stone wool ceiling systems help support their wellness and create a comfortable, effective learning environment. Children At Risk named Red Bluff a Gold Ribbon School at the close of the 2020-21 academic year. In January 2021, Red Bluff also was honored by the nationwide program Healthier Generation, which presented the school with an award as one of America’s Healthiest Schools.
Photo courtesy of © Dee Zunker
VRF HEATING AND COOLING CASE STUDY
Project: Hollis Primary School
Location: Hollis, New Hampshire
Architect: Windy Hill Associates, New Boston, New Hampshire
Mechanical Engineer John F. Penney Consulting Services, P.C., Chester, Vermont
Energy Consultant: DDH Energy Consulting, LLC, Concord, New Hampshire
The Project: Hollis Primary School (HPS) in Hollis, New Hampshire, has served its community for generations. Just as the school’s dedicated teachers continually refresh the curriculum for students in pre-kindergarten through third grade, the community, led by the school staff, school board, parents, and the Hollis Energy Committee, recognized the need to modernize the building for comfort and sustainability.
The Challenge: HPS is housed within a brick masonry building built in 1952. Prior to its modernization, the facility had no insulation. The walls had an R-value of 1, equivalent to a single pane of glass. The uninsulated slab of the building was above grade and resulted in cold floors during low ambient outdoor temperatures. The heat provided by the oil-fired boilers provided minimal comfort. Additionally, on the south and east sides of the building, windows made up about 65% of the exterior envelope. This reflected 1950s-era design and was intended to maximize natural light but resulted in excess solar gain and heated masonry, which produced uncomfortable temperatures as high as 92°F well into November and December. These conditions challenged educators and their students.
The Solution: The Hollis school board formed the Hollis Schools Thermal Electrical Project (HSTEP) to identify the best way to improve comfort at the school while also increasing sustainability. “We have a lot of engineers in our town and a vocal, active community that values education,” said Paula Izbicki, Principal at HPS. “All ideas and proposals were thoroughly vetted and questioned.”
Working with HSTEP, the Hollis Energy Committee recruited Dick Henry, founding director of DDH Energy Consulting, LLC, based in Concord, New Hampshire, to draw upon his expertise in helping building owners, utility companies, and communities maximize energy efficiency and retrofit aging infrastructure. Henry ultimately recommended encasing the brick structure in 4 inches of spray-foam insulation, increasing the R-value to 31. They also recommended installing air-source VRF heat pumps for energy-efficient heating and cooling, powered by electricity from solar panels.
The Results: In this case, modernization meant continuity for the community. Rather than spending an estimated $17 million on a new school building, the town of Hollis successfully retrofitted the older facility to better serve the community and its students well into the future. In terms of comfort, the retrofit transformed HPS. Principal Izbicki comments, “We don’t really think about the system. The kids are energetic and much happier. The learning environment has improved dramatically because it is so much more comfortable. And you can’t really hear the new VRF units either unless you paid special attention as one was getting ready to blow air.”
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP is a nationally known architect and a prolific author advancing sustainable residences through better design.www.pjaarch.com, www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch