ValleyView200712Winter - Hopewell Valley Regional School District

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4 THE VALLEY VIEW W INTER 2007 The Greening of Timberlane When the new wing at Timberlane Middle School opened on Jan. 16, visitors admired its attractive design and bright new spaces, and students and teachers celebrated the end of classes meeting in corridors. But within the 30,000- square-foot addition’s design and construction lay numerous Earth-friendly elements to save energy and money. Many of these were first used by the district in 2002, in the construction of Stony Brook Elementary School.Their proven success in that building, documented to be the most energy-efficient in the district, encouraged the Board of Education to duplicate them at Timberlane. Norman Torkelson, head of facilities for Hopewell Valley, likes to call it “proactive energy planning.” “It’s the sum total of all these things that results in a lower, long-term operating cost for this new addition, benefiting taxpayers now and into the future,” said Torkelson. Among the advanced technologies incorporated in the middle school addition are: away from the building, captured energy is recycled to temper the incoming fresh air used for ventilation.The system includes features to reduce relative humidity and MERV 8-rated filters for improved indoor air quality.The high performance of this heat recovery system allowed officials to design a smaller geothermal loop. Perimeter Insulation In between the concrete block and brick veneer of the perimeter walls are sandwiched high-insulating polystyrene boards. In addition, sheets of this insulator, known as blue board, were also sunk some four feet into the ground, below the frost line, around the building perimeter to further reduce heat loss. Daylighting Features To maximize the amount of daylight in the classrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows were installed.The west wing’s creative saw tooth design also permitted the installation of north-facing windows to reduce glare. High-performance, glare-reducing Kalwall windows were installed in the gym, band room and fitness center. Besides reducing glare, the specially coated windows are engineered to collect maximum sunlight, even on cloudy days, to reduce the need for interior lighting. Dual switches were installed in all rooms, allowing occupants to selectively illuminate spaces as necessary, and all lighting is provided indirectly, through diffusing fluorescent bulbs. Motion sensors in all classrooms ensure that unoccupied rooms are not lit. Numerous studies have linked higher student learning with certain building features, including better lighting conditions. A 2003 study of more than 8,000 California students in grades 3 through 6 showed significant achievement gains among youngsters in classrooms having more daylight.The study concluded that Geothermal Heating and Cooling System A series of 48 wells, drilled to depths exceeding 400 feet, comprise the closed loop that captures energy from the Earth to help heat and cool the building. Fluid circulating in this loop is warmed naturally underground to about 55 degrees and, on entering the building, is channeled through adaptable heat pumps which, depending on the need, blow warm or cool air to individual classrooms. This is the second geothermal system installed by the district; Stony Brook’s was the first. Compared to the district’s other schools, Stony Brook consumes up to 30% less energy per square foot, an efficiency credited in large part to its geothermal system. Further energy savings at Timberlane are being realized through a companion heat recovery system. As much as 70% of the energy in exhausted air is recouped with air-to-air heat exchangers. Once vented “Hopewell Valley is 5 years ahead of the rest of the state on this.” -- Chris Leyenberger, construction manager Teacher Karrin Phillips leads a class in Timberlane's new band room. High-performance, low-e, doublepaned windows were installed throughout the building. Roof insulation was increased and a white, reflective coating will be applied to help reflect the sun’s heat during summer months. glare negatively impacts learning, particularly in math, where instruction is typically conducted visually on a board. Solar-to-Electric Panels A 50 kilowatt, solar-powered electrical system is planned for installation over the summer.The panels, covering approximately 5,000 square feet and planned for the roof on the school’s south side, are expected to reduce energy costs and earn the district money over time through the sale of energy credits.The bid also requires the contractor to install a permanent information kiosk in the school lobby that will display data, such as real-time power output and panel efficiency.“There are a lot of
W INTER 2007 THE VALLEY VIEW 5 What Did Timberlane Gain New Renovations 7 classrooms Kitchen 2 science labs Nurse’s office Gym & fitness Child study offices center Locker rooms Band room Student lavatories House center near cafeteria Offices Conversion of Student auditorium into lavatories 2 computer labs Timberlane's new wing, as seen from the detention basin near the tennis courts. things teachers can do with that as a teaching tool,” said project architect Jason Kliwinski. Bids go out in February. quality. Construction crews were required to use the “green” cleaning products used effectively for years by district custodians. Water Conservation Waterless urinals in the boys’ lavatories are projected to reduce water consumption in the new wing by 20 percent. Elsewhere, automatic fixtures on the sinks and toilets will also reduce usage.These features helped demonstrate to local code officials that the new addition did not require a change in the district’s permitted sewage capacity. Environmentally-Friendly Materials All paints, floor finishes and cleaning products are low in ozonedepleting volatile organic compounds (VOC). Only latex paints were used, and glues used in composite wood products are formaldehyde-free. All carpeting products and their components, including yarns, dyes, backing and adhesives, were low-VOC to minimize vapors in the addition, helping to further improve indoor air Green and Practical In addition to the wing’s many “green” features, the design supports a basic component of effective middle schools – flexible use of space. It created learning areas for both large and small group instruction and activities, which supports the middle school team concept, the Advisory program and elective and wellness programs. “For example,” explains Principal Pat Coats,“four of the classrooms were built with moveable dividing walls which allow teaching teams to combine classes for interdisciplinary approaches and team activities. Our additional gym, the band room, and the new house center also support opportunities for large group instruction and activities.” Small group areas house speech classes and other special education services.They are also useful for the school’s Advisory program, in which small groups of students regularly meet with a teacher as part of a character education initiative. “All of these additions and renovations will provide us with great opportunities to use our school day and our school spaces in flexible ways which best support the needs of young adolescents,” said Coats. ■ Low-Maintenance Floors Vinyl tile flooring in the classrooms and ceramic and terrazzo tiles in hallways and bathrooms carry the advantage of lower maintenance and minimal dust accumulation. Certain large assembly rooms were installed with high-performance, no-pile carpeting for easier cleaning and large mats near the exterior doors are helping to minimize the amount of dirt tracked through the building. Quiet Environment Sound-absorbing concrete block was installed in the new band room and gymnasium.Walls in the classrooms and house center feature multiple angles to minimize echoing. Even corridors were designed with jogs in them to help absorb sound. ■ Recycle, Recycle, Recycle Hopewell Valley’s contract with builder Dandrea Construction Co. carried a number of Earthfriendly conditions. Construction Waste – Dandrea was required to sort concrete, plastic, metal and drywall at the site for recycling.As a result, 80 percent of more than 700 tons – in excess of 560 tons – of debris was diverted away from a landfill. Recycled New Materials – All ceiling tile, wall board, ceramic tile, terrazzo tile, concrete and structural steel installed in the addition were required to have recycled content. Steel used in the addition was 80 percent recycled. Local Materials – All materials were required to originate with suppliers no more than 500 miles away to minimize transportation costs and mitigate associated issues, such as pollution and energy consumption.
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ValleyView200712Winter - Hopewell Valley Regional School District

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