Kalwall Helps Put the Green into Greenwood Elementary
"Budget constraints." It's a familiar refrain in the building of public schools. Now travel to Glen Allen, Virginia, and add site-construction restrictions, in the form of natural bogs and ponds. It's a wonder the Henrico County school system could build a one-room schoolhouse, let alone the inspiring 775-student, sustainable, award-winning Greenwood Elementary School.
The theme of "green" pervades the entire structure and grounds. The ponds and bogs are joined by water-tolerant grasses cultivated in storm-water retention basins; a bike path parallels the access road leading to a school made from low- or no-maintenance materials, some manufactured nearby. The wetlands, of necessity, kept the school's footprint and environmental impact upon the site to a minimum. At the same time, careful planning prevented the creation of a chunky, two-story black box devoid of natural daylight. Translucent Kalwall panels, balanced with conventional glass for clear views of the outdoors, draw daylight into the building at every opportunity: ends of corridors, open stairwells, the lobby, classroom clerestories, and floor-to-ceiling curtainwall.
At Greenwood, highly insulating, energy-saving Kalwall also leads the way to LEED®¬ building credits. A producer of sustainable fenestration systems since before the term was invented, Kalwall is an ingenious combination of lightweight and high-strength, with no waste in materials or energy to manufacture. The panels' glass fiber, aluminum and FRP sheeting are all recyclable when cost effective to do so and most of the raw materials are derived from recyclables, thereby not clogging the landfills. At Greenwood, fresh air, natural light, operable windows and access to the exterior all inform the design of classrooms, the atrium corridor, the media center, the cafeteria and multi-purpose room, administrative areas and an inner courtyard. And after dark, viewed from outside, interior lighting gives off a warm, inviting glow through the translucent Kalwall. "We try to treat sustainable design as simply a part of good design," says Scott Kyle, AIA, of project architect BCWH Architects in Richmond. Virginia. "It doesn't necessarily have to cost more; it just takes more care and interest on the part of the design team."
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Using Kalwall to introduce more controlled, natural daylight into the building also makes possible significant savings in energy consumption. In addition to bringing glare-free daylight into the space that lowers the expense of electric lighting, the highly insulating Kalwall system makes possible significant heating and cooling cost savings. There are other benefits as well. Several studies prove that natural daylight in a school setting boosts learning retention, productivity and test scores. In addition, Greenwood teachers find that minimizing the amount of artificial light can have a calming effect upon their energetic, young charges. There is even anecdotal evidence to suggest that students actually take pride in and better care of a school featuring controlled daylight.
Besides energy efficiency and creating a healthy atmosphere, Kalwall shines brightest in the school's media center. There, Kalwall's translucent panels prevent glare from glancing off the surfaces of a retractable projection screen, a television and computer lab monitors. The lack of glare greatly reduces eyestrain for teachers and students alike, and enhances viewing from all locations around the room. In addition, the lack of direct sunlight prevents damage to furnishings, books and teaching materials from ultraviolet exposure.
The school's design has paid off in a number of architecture awards from organizations including the Virginia State AIA, the James River AIA, the Virginia Educational Facility Planners, and the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI). As more and more architects and builders discover the many sustainable aspects of Kalwall, what is cutting-edge today can become mainstream tomorrow. Rab McClure, AIA, an assistant professor in Virginia Commonwealth University's Interior Design Department, puts it this way: "What better way to make a case for environmentally sensible design solutions that to equate them with design solutions that are simply sensible?"
Greenwood Elementary School
Architect: BCWH Architects, Richmond. VA
Photographer: Chris Cunningham Photography
For more information, contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation 603-627-3861 (800-258-9777 N. America)
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