By examining the differences between LEED for Schools and LEED NC, we can learn how sustainability impacts teaching and learning.

As architects and engineers, we are trained to create environments that meet the specific needs of their individual users. Office buildings, recreation centers, and schools each take on different forms based on their surroundings, intended purpose, and role in our lives.

Our approach to sustainability and sustainable strategies is no different. The various LEED rating systems adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognize critical differences in the needs and challenges presented by various building types. Foremost among these are schools.

This article will examine the differences between the 2009 versions of the LEED NC and LEED for Schools rating systems. By analyzing the divergence between the two, we can learn more about the unique challenges presented by LEED for Schools, as well as the impact that effective and well-reasoned sustainable strategies can have on students, teachers, and the overall community.

A Brief History
While the Pilot LEED 1.0 program was released in 1999, LEED for Schools did not take shape until 2007. In 2004, an effort was made to develop an application guide for schools that would supplement the LEED NC system, but due to the significant differences in approach, the decision was made to switch to a school-specific standard.

In 2007, LEED for Schools was released with 79 available points, a 10 point increase from the standard LEED NC rating system. This was due to added requirements and the availability of incremental points. In 2009, the total points available in the two systems was standardized at 100, with LEED NC being more heavily focused on Sustainable Sites, Energy, and Materials and Resources, while LEED for Schools featured additional points for Water Efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality.

What is the reason for the differences? As with nearly all issues related to school design, it’s all about the kids.

Children Make All the Difference
Many LEED for Schools strategies are based on the underlying realization that children are not little adults. Their bodies behave and respond differently to their surroundings, requiring extra attention to several key areas.

For example, children have a higher respiration rate than adults, meaning that they are more susceptible to airborne contaminants. Accordingly, LEED for Schools places a stronger emphasis on Indoor Environmental Quality, including the addition of Low Emitting Materials categories for Furniture/Furnishings and Ceilings and Wall Systems, and the elimination of smoking in the building. A new credit, IEQc10, is meant to promote greater levels of mold prevention. With their reduced summer hours and traditional challenges with preventative maintenance, schools are especially susceptible to mold issues.

Many school districts are taking bold steps in the effort to improve Indoor Environmental Quality. Cincinnati Public Schools is in the process of implementing a district-wide Indoor Air Quality Program that will allow individuals to report IAQ issues to a district committee, as well as encourage schools to develop individual school-based IAQ teams.

"Many IAQ programs are created to address existing concerns; however, we're doing this as a proactive step. We feel implementation of an IAQ Program is a ‘best practice’ and helps to maintain, and improve on, our existing healthy environment," said Cynthia Eghbalnia, Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator for the district. "We are a strong supporter of the idea that a healthy environment improves learning and academic performance. At the school level, the proactive support of an Indoor Air Quality program fits nicely with the existing directive of most school wellness committees."

For districts looking to learn more about Indoor Air Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides "Tools for Schools," a program that offers a wealth of resources including case studies, the latest research, and an Action Kit that provides everything needed to begin improving IAQ in their buildings[1].

Another key component of the LEED for Schools rating system is IEQp3, the Minimum Acoustic Performance prerequisite. Because teaching is primarily delivered in an oral setting, eliminating extraneous sounds in the classroom is crucial to helping students learn. In addition, developing effective verbal communication skills and language proficiency is the foundation of advanced cognitive skills. Providing an acoustically-sound environment can literally help students unlock their abilities in all areas of learning.

Another credit, IEQc9, addresses Enhanced Acoustical Performance; however, architects and engineers must weigh the educational impact when pursuing this credit. IEQc9 typically drives classroom design into a configuration that is not conducive to many current methods of instruction. Many districts have chosen to forgo the enhanced acoustical performance in favor of a more flexible classroom design that better supports their curriculum and methods.

Educating a "Green" Generation
One portion of the LEED for Schools Rating system is so unique that is deserves special mention. IDc3 provides credit for the use of the School as a Teaching Tool. This credit encourages the use of the building's sustainable design features as an experiential example of traditional lessons. The goal is to educate a generation of students who view sustainability as part of their everyday lives and understand how they and their surroundings impact the overall environment.

One of the most dramatic examples of the School as a Teaching Tool concept can be found in Washington, DC. Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School, a LEED for Schools (v2007) Silver certified building, integrates sustainability into every aspect of the learning environment. This includes a special curriculum component that emphasizes sustainable issues and trends.

At Phelps, a variety of sustainable, energy-efficient features serve as demonstration elements, enabling students to monitor energy output from the earth, sun, and wind. Specific features include four photovoltaic solar arrays for peak shaving, a hot water solar array for building system preheat, two helical wind turbines, and a geothermal condenser water loop under the sports field.

Photo 1. Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School

Form Follows Function
While many elements of LEED for Schools are focused on student-centered issues, others address the  ways in which schools are used.

LEED NC has always focused on office buildings with 20- to 30-year life spans, but schools typically have 30- to 50-year life spans and must be designed accordingly. In addition, schools have a much higher occupant density than office buildings, often by a factor of two or more.

The function of school buildings has necessitated adjustments as well. Credit WEc4 relates to process water use reduction, a direct result of the use of industrial-quality kitchens in many school facilities.

Some credits address the role that a school plays in its community. Credit SSc8 addresses sports field lighting and light trespass. The prime location occupied by many schools, as well as their proximity to residential neighborhoods, requires designers to anticipate the impact of athletic field and other lighting on the surrounding neighborhood.

Additionally, LEED for Schools provides a credit for the Joint Use of Facilities, a strategy that is not possible for many commercial buildings owned by private developers. Increasingly, schools are serving as community centers and are open nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The development of community partnerships can provide residents with access to valuable resources, while reducing the need for redundant structures, such as recreation centers and libraries, elsewhere in town.

One example of this strategy is the Medina High School and Community Center in Medina, Ohio. As part of an expansion of the existing high school, the City and local organizations helped create a Community Recreation Center and Performing Arts Center that is connected to the high school and serves both students and the larger community.

Photo 2. Medina High School and Community Center

Lessons Learned
The genius of the LEED for Schools rating system is that it uses sustainability to promote the very elements that define effective learning environments. By understanding the unique aspects of the rating system, designers can more successfully serve the needs of teachers and students

Other developments are on the horizon, including a LEED for Existing Schools rating system from the USGBC, but the opportunity for real innovation lies in the ways in which schools are used to promote the cause of sustainability.

In an article entitled, "The Future of Green Schools," published in the September/October 2009 issue of NSSEA Essentials, Bob Kobet, Chair of the USGBC's LEED for Schools committee, issued the following challenge: "A school cannot declare itself a high performance school unless it includes an integrated curriculum that celebrates the connections between the community, site, and facility and what our children are being taught."

This is a worthy goal for the future of Green Schools. By creating model learning environments, architects and engineers can help make this vision a reality and inspire the next generation of sustainable leaders.

[1] More information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools.

About the Author
Ian Hadden, PE, LEED AP BD+C is the Sustainable Design/Engineering Marketing Liaison for Fanning Howey, a national planning and design firm with a strong focus in K-12 schools.