Sustainable Design Transforms the Student Experience
By Sue Lara, John Mlade, Bradley Paulsen, Paul O’Connor, Craig Siepka, Shawn Sternberg, and Megan ZackSocial-emotional wellness, collaborative learning, and the health of students and the planet are core principles that guided the design and engineering of Illinois’ first verified net-zero commercial building, the LEED Platinum certified Adlai E. Stevenson High School East Building Addition Phase I in Lincolnshire.
Leveraging the OpportunityAs Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125’s architect and design partner, Wight & Company crafted a long-term facility master plan for the high school that integrated maintenance and life cycle projects with educational and student wellness upgrades while accommodating capacity needs. Overarching all work was an objective to advance sustainable design strategies into a net-zero energy facility.
The first action step was renovating department offices and transforming the servery/kitchen into an inviting dining commons with a more “collegiate” hangout experience and scattered food station placement that helped refocus students on more healthful food choices. Then, when plans for an energy self-sufficient classroom building with high-efficiency, smart operational systems were put before the visionary school board and leadership, their first question was “how does this benefit students?”
The New Building
Anticipating growth in student enrollment, HSD 125 took the opportunity for the $27 million East Building Addition Phase I (EBA I) to holistically redefine students’ and teachers’ educational experiences by integrating the design and engineering of the facility’s spaces and systems as components of its student-focused curriculum. The 56,800-squarefoot new facility includes world language classrooms, maker labs, flexible multi-purpose spaces for conferences and extended learning, as well as five advanced physics and engineering program labs and two two-story living walls.
Raising the Bar
Announcing Stevenson’s First Place for new educational construction in the 2022 ASHRAE Technology Awards, the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers stated, “The East Building Addition I project demonstrates how technical innovation and creative design solutions can be simple, yet effective; energy efficient, yet cost effective and a great teaching tool.”
Stevenson’s EBA I “has cutting- edge sustainability features not found in any other educational facility in the world,” said architect and global pioneer in sustainable building design Lois Vitt Sale, FAIA and LEED Fellow, Wight & Company’s recently retired Chief Sustainability Officer who directed the building’s integrated high-performance design.
Engaging Staff in Design
Vitt Sale and Wight’s engineering team engaged Stevenson’s strong facilities maintenance team throughout the design process to ensure the new building’s advanced systems would provide them operational simplicity and easy access to automated, centrally controlled mechanical, electrical, and HVAC technologies. Wight envisioned a building that could exceed the aspirations of today’s environmentally-committed students and that could surpass the board’s and administration’s high expectations for a pioneering high-performance building — every physical component of which engages and supports students.
Metrics of Success
Stevenson’s EBA I is verified as the first Net-Zero Energy commercial building in Illinois. Its 453kW rooftop photovoltaic array produces more energy than the building consumes. Having earned Zero Energy Certification through the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), Stevenson was awarded a $1 million grant from Illinois Clean Energy Foundation.
The fully sub-metered EBA I provides real-time access to energy consumption data by HVAC, lighting, elevators, and plug load, and shows 43% in energy savings compared to baseline. A fully-automated lighting system — with daylight sensors in all interior spaces — produced a 68% lighting energy reduction over baseline. A Building Automation System (BAS) automatically controls the various building systems and provides operations and maintenance alarms.
The new building’s HVAC system employs a sophisticated but simple-to-maintain set of technologies anchored by an enthalpy wheel for energy recovery. The condensing units for the VRF system are in a mechanical penthouse, instead of outside, to improve energy efficiency during the heating season. Each space throughout the building is temperature/ comfort controlled by a CO2 sensor — except for the science labs which have their own integrated system to manage exhaust and maintain negative pressure to isolate their air from the rest of the building.
Controlling Quality and Cost
Throughout the design process, Wight engineers ran numerous computer models for Stevenson decision-makers to thoroughly evaluate component-system options and to control costs. The capital premium for the selected system was approximately $300,000 over traditional mechanical systems with a simple payback of 7.8 years. However, since the building has demonstrated net-zero energy performance and received the grant, the simple payback is close to zero years.
Daylight has been shown to improve academic performance and test results by enhancing the teaching and learning environment. The district administration also wanted lots of glass in EBA I to make Stevenson’s commitment to individual excellence more transparent to the community. Supporting innovations in daylighting, thermal comfort, air quality, and other indoor environmental factors that enhance learning and quality of life are two 2-story living walls of 600 square feet each, which have become social magnets for team learning, independent study, and a great place for students to eat lunch.
Living Systems
The living walls rely on recirculated water to nourish and maintain the planted system. Additional water is periodically provided to make up for water that is consumed by the plants or evaporated into the space. The team believed this was a good trade-off given the living wall system contributes to humidification of the space and supports occupant comfort — the building otherwise does not have a humidifier as part of the mechanical system.
Students are also engaged with nature through EBA I’s 7,100 square foot green roof featuring a food-producing rooftop greenhouse and ADA-accessible raised farm planters — all designed as learning spaces. Visible sensors in the roofing system allow students to study and understand the significant insulation benefits of a green roof.
In addition to LEED and ILFI Zero Energy Certification, Stevenson’s EBA I is the first Platinum-certified building of the Living Architecture Performance Tool (LAPT), a certification system for green roofs and walls comparable to LEED that evaluates the integration of living systems into buildings. “The project scored extremely high in multiple categories, demonstrating what educational buildings of our future should look like — flexible, innovative, healthy, biophilic, and most importantly, integrated into the curriculum, and student learning- focused,” wrote Living Architect Monitor.
Paying It Forward
The sustainability features of EBA I exemplify the thought leadership tradition of the School Board and administration of Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125 and provide advanced tools and enlightened support to ensure the success of every student as a complete and unique individual in mind and body, while at the same time building for increased enrollment. As part of their ongoing commitment to whole-student wellness, EBA I was followed by the design and engineering of a 120,000-square-foot East Building Addition Phase II (EBA II), featuring an expanded fieldhouse and new health and wellness center designed not only for the Patriots competitive team athletes but also to engage the whole student body in social/emotional health and physical fitness programs.
Stevenson’s successes on the EBA I facility are complemented by the pursuit of LEED and WELL for EBA II and are supported by the campus LEED Gold EBOM (Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance) certification. The first phase of the EBA II project expanded the campus infrastructure to produce electricity onsite. The plant supports the community and school by allowing the entire campus to operate off the grid in times of need. This ability not only allows Stevenson to benefit from utility demand response programs but also supports community resilience.
Exceeding Expectations
When Sean Carney, HSD 125’s Assistant Superintendent, reflects on how EBA I came to fruition, he recalls that the original goals for the addition were to balance out space usage across the facility and honor and support student social and emotional wellness to the greatest extent possible. Carney states, “The District’s vision was to maximize the space we had available which naturally meant looking outside the formal instruction areas for opportunities to encourage spontaneous, casual gatherings. Transparency, choice, and comfort were the reoccurring themes that guided decision-making. Throughout the planning process, we also recognized this as an opportunity to advance our commitment to the environment. East Building Addition I significantly exceeds our expectations on all counts.”
“The response to EBA I has been overwhelmingly positive, with facilities being used around the clock by staff and students in a more robust and creative manner than we ever imagined,” continues Carney. “Students are truly engaged in learning about and interacting with the living walls, green roof, and the other sustainable systems that have contributed to our net-zero status. In every way, this addition has transformed the student experience on our campus and has put us on a trajectory to evolve the entire facility in new and exciting ways.”
Sue Lara, John Mlade, Bradley Paulsen, Paul O’Connor, Craig Siepka, Shawn Sternberg, and Megan Zack are with Wight & Company, a leader in leaders in architecture, engineering, and construction, with a mission of creating “impactful and sustainable environments that will empower future generations to thrive.” Resources associated with this column can be accessed here.