New WHS construction may include more natural lighting, ASU input
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

The new Watauga High School could have a brighter future if plans include strategically placed windows and “daylighting” techniques.

In the wake of the county commissioners’ voting to support a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “green building” certification, members of Appalachian State University’s technology department could be contributing more ideas that could help achieve the designation.

Jeanne Mercer-Ballard, an interior design professor at ASU, said students in her class would be participating in contributing design elements to meet the certification, whether as a group project or through independent study.

Mercer-Ballard could serve as one of the verifiers, since she is a LEED-accredited professional, and her class presented research to the school board about the various elements that go into designing the interior of a sustainable building. Those techniques didn’t include only green principles, but livability principles as well.

“It’s more than just (about) the planet,” Mercer-Ballard said. “Building green is also about being better for ourselves.”

To that end, Mercer-Ballard’s class presented research that suggested impressive and appreciable increases in test scores in schools where students were exposed to more natural lighting. In one study, scores improved by more than 20 percent in a year. Additionally, student absenteeism is lower in schools that employ more use of sunlight.

Strategic placing of windows is just one of the factors in brightening a school. The colors of walls, floors and other fixtures also have a psychological effect, and the selection of carpet, paint, furniture and other materials could have a big effect on quality of the working and learning environment. Part of the group’s work is to look at “sick building syndrome,” the effect caused by toxins released from building materials and furniture.

“It’s not just about an environmentally friendly building,” Mercer-Ballard said. “It’s about not killing somebody’s brain cells through off-gassing.”

Other factors in designing a suitable building are security and a sense of community connection, which might mean including some of the elements from the current 1965-era building so alumni will have a stake in the school’s tradition.

The group is hopeful the information will help people see the benefits are far more than just feel-good measures or long-term economic investments. Mercer-Ballard believes the opportunity for better test scores, better attendance and a more positive and healthy school atmosphere will better help taxpayers accept any additional costs of enhancing the building.

Those costs may not be as significant as some have feared.

Dennis Scanlin, appropriate technology instructor at ASU who is involved in alternative-energy research, said daylighting is probably the most efficient and least expensive way to get dramatic results from green techniques. His research suggests that pursuing a LEED silver designation in lighting would add between 2.5 and 5 percent to the cost. “The initial costs are higher, but not that much higher,” he said.

Scanlin added that the architectural firm’s experience in green building can also pay off, and lamented that many projects get trimmed because architects get caught up in building appearance or cost. He said daylighting is probably the most productive green technique, not just in schools, but in any construction.

Energy-efficient lighting systems are also a good way to cut costs and benefit the environment. “That goes for society as a whole,” Scanlin said.

“It’s the quickest, easiest way, and this technology is already in the marketplace.”

Indoor air quality is also a factor in creating a sustainable learning space, and that goes beyond the toxic level of building materials and the ventilation systems.

Mercer-Ballard said many of the systems would be related, which is why the LEED certification relies on measures in a number of areas, from water and energy usage to the use of the building site. Healthy attributes could include efforts like hands-free sinks and water fountains to reduce the amount of germs.

Other techniques like automated lighting would lead to savings over the long run. Mercer-Ballard believes when all the factors are considered, the total benefits will be clear, not just economically but in a healthier environment where students have the best chance to reach their potential.

“That’s pretty powerful when making the argument that tax money is being spent in the right place,” she said.

Chad Everhart, who teaches building science at ASU, said green school buildings are becoming popular across the country. He said the Watauga site’s proximity to the New River made rainwater retention important, especially given the amount of pavement that will cover the 90 acres.

He said green schools were more likely to use pitched roofs instead of the standard flat roofs, thereby incorporating skylights and even remote-controlled monitors that could open to allow light during certain hours of the day.

Scanlin added, some days would be cloudy or rainy, so electric-light systems would be required, but he regular school hours took place in the daytime so windows could provide plenty of benefits.

LEED certification was launched by the U.S. Green Building Council in the 1990s. New certification standards specifically for schools were adopted earlier this year.