High Performance Schools/LEED

Taking the LEED in Building for the Future

The SDA currently builds each new school to LEED^â (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifiable standards as established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED provides a rating system for measuring what constitutes a “green building,” using criteria such as acoustics, water efficiency, air quality, energy efficiency and daylighting. SDA uses LEED principles as a benchmark to measure performance in the design and construction of 21st century high-performance schools.

The SDA is furthering its commitment to providing high-performance, sustainable schools by preparing to seek actual LEED certification for projects entering the design phase. This step will permit the USGBC to verify that each project, when complete, has achieved the goals of environmental efficiency and sustainability.

Why Build High-Performance Schools?

High-performance schools are conducive to quality learning while saving energy, resources and money. SDA is committed to building schools that offer healthy interior spaces including good air quality, comfortable acoustics and lighting, and other high-performance features to provide a positive learning environment within the community.

The use of natural light is one of the most important attributes of a 21st century school. Daylight is the highest quality light source for visual tasks and can save money. Properly designed natural lighting systems reduce the need for electric lighting, which can account for 35 to 50 percent of a school's electrical energy consumption.

Acoustics are important because difficulty hearing can hamper students' concentration, increasing stress and decreasing focus.

Proper air circulation and temperature control are also significant, because hot, stuffy rooms – or cold, drafty ones – reduce attention spans and limit productivity. High-performance systems reduce waste and contribute to a school's fiscal bottom line.

High-performance design is taken to an even higher level by incorporating educational and community components. Schools are more than bricks and mortar. Well-planned schools are the center of a community. The way in which schools are designed – with spaces for student and community use such as auditoriums, gymnasiums, media centers and cafeterias – allows for greater use of the school.

High-performance schools are known to provide key benefits to students, teachers and communities including:

View Examples of New Jersey High Performance Schools

LEED FOR SCHOOLS

The SDA LEED Policy currently requires design consultants to design schools that meet a minimum of 29 LEED points complying with USGBC LEED for Schools Rating System. All required prerequisites must be met to achieve LEED compliance goals for the project. A summary of LEED principles and prerequisites is listed below:

LEED Principles:

LEED Rating System Required Prerequisites:

Summerfield Elementary School, Neptune Township, Silver LEED Certification

For more information on LEED standards, please visit the USGBC website.

SDA’s 21st Century Schools Design Manual

The school construction program has been a leader in high-performance design since its inception. In 2000, the New Jersey Legislature directed in the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act (the Act) that the design of school facilities should incorporate maximum operating efficiencies and new technologies to advance energy efficiency of school facilities and the efficiency of other school building systems. Two years after the Act, Executive Order 24 required that all new school design shall incorporate LEED guidelines to achieve maximum energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in the design of schools.

To meet this mandate, the SDA combined national best practices in education design with LEED standards to publish the 21st Century Schools Design Manual. The Design Manual, updated in May 2007, defines criteria for the design and construction of 21st century schools that will benefit communities and provide cost-efficient schools for the districts. School projects being advanced for the first time in the 2008 New Funding Allocation and Capital Plan must meet these standards.

The Design Manual identifies five performance objectives for all SDA-constructed schools in New Jersey. Such schools will be:

The manual also includes 25 Design Criteria based on the five performance objectives to guide design teams in developing safe, healthy and sustainable schools. Meeting these criteria throughout the entire design phase will result in a high-performance school – one that will enhance teaching and learning, reduce operating costs, protect the environment and be an asset to its community. In addition, the manual provides resources and training to help design teams address the design criteria and meet the performance objectives of the program.

The Design Manual is a living document that will be updated as SDA Project Teams learn more efficient and effective ways to design and construct School Facilities Projects for New Jersey.