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An Evidence-Based Analysis for Net Zero building designs of new or updated schools. Building performance analysis and breakdown of sustainable design strategies to further understand the different methods of reaching net zero energy

School buildings are dangerous to the environment, students, and educational districts. They approximately consume 30% of the nation’s electricity, generate 35% of our waste, use 8% of water resources and are responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas (GHC) and= carbon dioxide emissions. Unfortunately, these are buildings where 55 million students and teachers attend and occupy daily in the US. The EPA estimates that 40 percent of our nation’s 115,000 schools suffer from poor environmental conditions that may compromise the health, safety, and learning of more than 14 million students (USGBC, 2008). In fact, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, our educational buildings are in worse condition than any other infrastructure, including prisons. School buildings have four times the number of occupants per square foot than most work environments. Many school districts are realizing these challenges, for example Portland Public Schools (PPS) has identified a major strategy to “build, operate, and teach green.” Despite these interests and objectives, the number of net-zero schools’ square feet in Oregon is less than 2% of the school buildings area built in the past decade. Evidence suggest that non-energy barriers and understanding of the real benefits and impacts of net-zero schools on the triple bottom line is not well understood and acknowledged.

Objective

The objective of this report is to target this problem through an analysis of best practices and building performance metrics of NZS that highlights non-energy benefits and barriers to this building type. Research tasks for this book were conducted in three phases. In phase I, we collected data from design teams, school districts, and web resources on recent net-zero schools in the US using a detailed building performance and measurement protocol. In Phase II, we followed-up with a detailed survey with the design teams, school district representatives, and non-profit organizations engaged in net-zero schools and those who completed non-net-zero schools in the Pacific Northwest recently. The objective of this phase is to uncover design process and delivery barriers to achieve net-zero schools. In phase III, we analyzed the data for a sample of exemplary schools with direct implication to the state of Oregon climate and building practices. This led to seven detailed case studies of exemplary net-zero schools to develop best practices patterns and cases of their successful design, delivery, and performance verification. One of the significant goals of this book is to link net-zero school design best practices with their impact on occupant comfort and satisfaction. Of corollary interest is to uncover best methods of design process, communication, and engaging school officials and districts in achieving net-zero schools.

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Factors of Net Zero Analysis

 

Design Process

Extracting the steps taken to design the building. Understanding what approach was taken on the design process was vital in understanding the success of the building through the lens of the post-occupants. Factors considered in the design process include site selection...

Design Strategies

In depth study of the strategies taken to make the design possible. This includes the consideration of owner-architect goals, cost-effective design, and other aspects that are unique to each school.
      

Site Performance

Study of the south-facing classrooms, site to building ratio, building footprint on site, amount of paving, site program and parameters, catchment maps, integration with the environment and sensitivity to surroundings.

Building Performance

Analysis of heat loss and heat gain. Energy metrics of building compared to baseline energy standards. Energy use breakdown for each different type of equipment. 

Envelope Performance

Structured analysis of envelope elements through selecting one wall, one fenestration, one area of the roof, and one area of the floor to draw up measurements of their R values and other important features to the element.

Indoor Comfort: Thermal, Acoustics and Ventilation

Study of the indoor environment and how it affects the occupant's comfort levels. This study was broken down into air, thermal, acoustics. Psychometric and thermal sensation charts were used to test the success of the comfort levels dependent upon the region and climate the building is located in.

Indoor Comfort: Visual and Daylighting

Study of daylight autonomy analysis, false color renderings, annual glare, daylight factor and illuminance node analysis.

 

Other purposes of this report include:

1. Facilitate integrated design and cooperation
   between NZS designers
2. Reduce environmental impacts and move us
   towards carbon neutrality environments in schools
3. Have a potential to be a model for future replication
   and dissemination
4. Expand the Energy Trust products and tools
   that engage stake holders and result in market
   transformation in resolving non-energy barriers