Green Building Design?

[Avenging Eagle]

It has always been my dream to try to upgrade my house with solar panels, wind turbines, or possibly a hydrogen fuel cell. It would be great to be partially off the grid, not to mention the energy savings. But after I looked at the ramp up costs, I hesitated because it would take too long to recoup the costs, and I thought I would probably move. I never got past the point of reading Home Power magazine and dreaming.

This is unfortunate but true, even though Illinois is one of the "greenest" states, offering incentives and grants for just about any alternative energy initiative out there.

Now that we are going to build a new high school, why don't we seize the opportunity to make this thing "Green". Not only would we save money on operational costs, we could get grants to help us do it right and help to pay for the building costs. Also, we will be able to reap the rewards of doing it since it will be around for a long time.

Finally, I can't think of any better way to build in educational value into the school design than to put it right into the architecture with solar power, wind power, and any other alternative energy strategies that we can think of.

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation is just looking for people like us to give them the opportunity to let them "go wild" with some of their ideas.

Just look at their web site:
www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/green_body.asp#model

They even suggest growing soybeans on the roof!

Soy-based “green” roofs are one example of a model building technology that has been supported by the Foundation: being highly reflective, it saves energy, cooling costs and promotes Illinois’ agriculture economy by helping grow a nontraditional market for soybeans.

Why not?

While we are waiting for the judge and lawyers to shuffle paper, we could be working on altering the architectural designs to support the alternative energy sources, and figure out how to water the soybeans on the roof.

This would even help us recoup some of the legal fees and inflated land prices paid to BB.

Also, we would make a point showing how we can make productive use of our time to achieve a good end result, as opposed to the negative implications and effects of our long, drawn-out legal system to get the land.

For this category, there is no deadline or cutoff date:

Energy Efficient Building Design and Commissioning
Application deadline: Requests accepted throughout the year
Grant decision date: Generally, within two months of submitting request

Does anyone know if our School Board is already considering this?

[Avenging Eagle]

Here's a new solar high school which can generate enough power for 450 houses + itself:

www.powerlight.com/case-studies/education/inderkum.shtml

and here's a high school that gets all of its power from one wind turbine:

www.bhsroe.k12.il.us/bureauvalley/bvhs/windturbine.htm

[wvhsparent]

Sounds Like a winner to me Have you sent a proposal to teh SB/Admin?
That would be the first step.
Also the rest of us should also send a quick note too asking for this to be looked into.

[JB]

These are fantastic ideas AE! Let's go with it, especially if there are grants available. You might even be able to get some corporate sponsorship to kick in as well. BP comes to mind, as an energy company with headquarters in the area, but I'm sure there are others.

Are there any foundations out there that support Green efforts?

This is really excting, I can see why you were posting at 2 am. Just be awake for Quigley's

[EagleDad]

I like everything except growing soybeans on the roof. I don't know, for some reason I have visions of "Pot High" with long "hair" ;-)

Also, we would need to only recommend things which did not add considerable costs. There ius 124.6M only approved, and I'd hate to cut back on the necessities.

AE, you should send in this info to the board. JB, I'm assuming you'll take care of making sure the labs are well equipped and safe.

[title1parent]

AE, I like the idea of a Green Building. There is a house in Oswego that has a sod roof. And the soybean roof could double as a garden to harvest for the bad hamburgers in the cafeteria.

I know that the state is trying to incorporate windpower in rural areas. Princeton, IL has about 50 turbines going in open farmland right now.

I like the idea because my husband and myself plan on building a log cabin and incorporating these ideas into our home when we retire.

My husband went to IIT, and graduated from their Environmental Management program. The head of the Dept is Dr.George Nassos. Big GREEN Building proponent. Wind turbine and everything.

I guess I will bring my hubby along tonite so you can bend his ear.

[wvhsparent]

jb said:

These are fantastic ideas AE! Let's go with it, especially if there are grants available. You might even be able to get some corporate sponsorship to kick in as well. BP comes to mind, as an energy company with headquarters in the area, but I'm sure there are others.

Are there any foundations out there that support Green efforts?

This is really excting, I can see why you were posting at 2 am. Just be awake for Quigley's

BP seems to be big on renewable energy, at least that's what they say at the gas stations. seeing that they have a stake in the district.....
any BP employees out there?
I like Nalco and NICOR too. could be really good PR for them.

I'd ask someone I know in BD who works at BP, but he was as militant NO...so I am not sure how much help he would be...I'll try though.

[JB]

I've asked a friend at BP for any leads he could give me. I do contract work there, so hopefully I can get some leads. My group was spun off recently, but the connections are still there.

[JB]

Just e-mailed a neighbor who works there as well.

Here's a website I found:

www.nrel.gov/

BP supported the development of a mobile renewable energy classroom, among other things. Try typing "BP" in the search line - you get hundreds of hits!

Can you imagine the science program this HS could have? Dozens of labs, each with no more than 24 kids ( ;D ) studying fuel cells, biomass fuels, wind energy, etc? I love that vision - any other science geeks with me?

[204group]

Green roofs are a major trend in the landscaping industry right now. It could be like Naperville North's Prairie project. Major Daley is a big supporter of green roofs and offers grants to residential and commercial buildings for installing green roofs. Award winning design:

www.asla.org/meetings/awards/awds02/chicagocityhall.html

[JB]

Was just e-mailed contact info for BP - let's discuss further! Maybe a sponsored lab or two?

BP Renewable Energy Lab

Nalco Waste Reduction / Waste Treatment Lab

All at the Helen Brach Costco High

So it will cost like, 2 - 3 million to build this thing, after sponsorships, right?

[Avenging Eagle]

wvhsparent said:

Sounds Like a winner to me Have you sent a proposal to teh SB/Admin?
That would be the first step.
Also the rest of us should also send a quick note too asking for this to be looked into.

I sent the SB an email last night at 2 am also. It went through, except Bruce Rodman's came back as undeliverable.

As for BP...., Mrs. AE is the tennis partner of the BP CEO's wife, so I think we have a connection.

If we come up with a proposal, Mrs. AE can deliver it and can guarantee it gets all the way to the top.

JB, I like your ideas for the labs, and that's why we have to seize the opportunity now to take advantage of it. If there is a "rooftop lab" then the architect will need to make sure the railings up there are safe, etc.

I have not heard back from the SB yet, but we should not let up on this one. Let's discuss this further at Quigley's tonight about the "next steps".

Actually, I believe we should model our roof strategy off the Inderkum High School in Sacramento, CA with the solar panels, because as global warming continues, we will have an increasing amount of sunlight in the midwest in the coming years, making the roof a huge energy producer that will increase its output in the future.

I like their geo-thermal heating system also. You can read about it here:

www.california.construction.com/features/archive/0409_feature4.asp

[justvote]

Bolingbrook recently opened the first "green" high school in the state (3rd in the nation). Maybe we could use some of their ideas, along with incorporating those already mentioned on the board.

www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-10-2006/0004317805&EDATE=

[Avenging Eagle]

Congratulations to them!

I noticed in the article that they took advantage of their own site specifics in their design.
For example:

-- Bio-swales and detention basins with deep-rooted wetland and native
plantings encourage groundwater filtration and slow down rainwater
runoff. By slowing the discharge rate into Lily Cache Creek,
sedimentation is allowed to settle out, which protects the Creek and
adjacent wetlands from additional sediment and impurities.

On our flat plain, we might not be able to use all of their ideas, but many strategies would carry over very well.

This also gives me hope that the "green" school idea is already on the radar of our school board.

Here are some more design features of the Bolingbrook High School
www.designbuildmag.com/features/archive/2003/0306_feature2.asp

Also, I found a link to the Illinois Greening Schools website
www.greeningschools.org/

I sure hope that we are not too far along in our architectural and building plans to be able to do this!

I am getting a sinking feeling on this one.

After all, when Topher talked to the Bolingbrook mayor about the school, the story was that he said "it is too ugly for us", but later he denied that.

If he actually did say that, then maybe he saw the designs already, and knows that it would not be "green".

The one advantage we might have is that NICOR, Nalco, and BP are local entities that might be willing to sponsor us, helping us save on the costs of making these adjustments to the design.

[ogden]

While this is an interesting idea, I would not support it.
There are too many unknowns, and such a building could be very problematic down the road.
Anytime you venture off the proven path, dangers lurk.
I know some such contemporary builidngs have big problems with leaks, which then leads to other problems, such as mold.
There is no reason to take such a gamble with public funds.
Keep it simple and cost effecient.
Also, why create the potential for additional stark differences betweeen the other two schools, a problem the SD is still dealing with between WV and NV.
And this equal treatment should not just be limited to a "green building".