Sustainable School Design Reaches San Diego Hinterland
POWAY, Calif. — The school district here is set to begin construction on a $29.5 million environmentally sustainable elementary school.
Del Sur Elementary is the first Poway school district facility in which environmentally sustainable principles formed an integral part of the planning and design-concept phases.
The two-story facility, located on a 10.2-acre lot, will house classrooms, offices and assembly and multipurpose spaces under one roof. The California Title 24-compliant single-structure design features fewer exterior walls and a smaller roof surface to improve energy efficiency and reduce heating and cooling costs, according to officials.
The district is also considering a photovoltaic roof-panel installation that could generate up to 19 percent of the school’s energy, officials say. The facility will incorporate heat-reflecting windows and energy-efficient fixtures, while lighting and HVAC systems will be monitored by an integrated energy management system.
In addition, the single-structure design will create a smaller footprint and requires a smaller campus site with less landscaping to minimize irrigation demands and water consumption. A high-efficiency, satellite-controlled irrigation system will manage water use to minimize waste.
Storm water runoff will be minimized, with 42 percent of the facility’s site remaining permeable to rainfall, officials say. Construction waste generated by the project will be diverted from landfills for recycling.
Designed by San Diego architects NTDStichler and located in the heart of a community housing development, the school is due to open its doors to 800 students in 2008.
Poway school district, which lies in San Diego County , operates 34 elementary, middle and high schools that serve approximately 33,000 students.
In addition to new construction projects, such as Del Sur, the district has implemented a similar set of green measures, such as solar panel installations, low-emissions glazing and energy efficient fixtures at many of its existing facilities.
The district is in the middle of a $198 million multi-year expansion and renovation program to upgrade 24 of its facilities.