Innovative tiles that convert smog into fertilizer will protect air quality for new schools. Photo courtesy of Boral Roofing

Whether or not your project is part of a green rating system, such as the U.S. Green Building LEED® for Schools, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Sustainable Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS), or Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHIPS), manufacturers are responding to the call for new products that help the environment without changing the project budget. As Mike Petersen, president of Petersen Aluminum states, "We assume that architects want to design responsibly whether or not it is a LEED® project. LEED® may have been the driver, but, it meant, for the entire industry, an improvement on whole product lines to meet solar cool roof criteria to save energy."

Brian Miller, managing director of business development at PCI, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, also acknowledges this point, noting, "More designers are implementing designs that combine environmental performance with efficiency. They're realizing new ways for products to meet more than one design goal at a time."

The products and design solutions discussed in this article can be used to satisfy multiple design and performance criteria as part of an economic, environmental and social strategy for school projects.

Transforming Air Quality-Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollutants

Poor air quality and high levels of indoor and outdoor air pollutants have been linked to the increase in asthma cases in school-age children over the past 30 years.² A few of the major culprits of poor air quality in schools are adhesives and other chemicals found in many building materials, as well as the use of harsh cleaning solvents. These products and many more building materials and common installation practices have high concentrations of VOCs, chemicals that evaporate into the air to become irritants, often causing headaches, dizziness and even sick building syndrome. Amy Lee, manager of marketing communications for CertainTeed Gypsum, notes, "With a focus on continuously improving the learning environment, sustainable building design is integral to the future of our schools. Recent advancements in building materials that improve indoor air quality and acoustics now provide more options for school design and construction."

According to the American Lung Association 2010 State of the Air Report, children face greater risks than adults from poor air quality because they are smaller and more active than adults. They cite a World Health Organization report that has documented the air effects on children to include short-term and long-term decreased lung function, worsening of asthma, increased incidence of cough and bronchitis and increased risk of upper and lower respiratory infections.³ Mold is also a contributing factor to poor indoor air quality. New products that address this air quality crisis include gypsum wallboards that capture VOCs and transform them into benign compounds, as well as smog-eating exterior roof tiles that turn pollution particles into fertilizer. In addition, manufacturers are making interior doors and wall panels that reduce VOC emissions.

Analysis of chemical concentrations in residences, daycare centers and school buildings indicate that VOCs are the most prevalent pollutants. At the top of this list is formaldehyde, which may cause health concerns. Illustration courtesy of CertainTeed Gypsum