Triangle Designs High Performance Guidelines
February 5, 2001 -- Releasing sustainability guidelines for public buildings, a Triangle group joins the US Environmental Protection Agency at the forefront of the nation's efforts to improve the design, construction and operation of public buildings.
"The Triangle is the only place we know of where people are working across jurisdictional boundaries to write and adopt a uniform set of guidelines," said Judy Kincaid, solid waste/materials resources program manager at Triangle J Council of Governments, who led the effort to develop the guidelines.
The group, representing Durham, Orange and Wake Counties, produced the document "High Performance Guidelines: Triangle Region Public Facilities" to save energy and water, reduce the use of materials, reduce indoor pollutants, and save taxpayer dollars. Guidelines cover 45 topics and range from waste management to erosion control. One-third of the guidelines are accompanied by an example of a local building project.
For example, Cherry Huffman Architects incorporated the technology of ice storage to reduce energy use, in the design of Wakefield High School and the Wake County Services Center. Ice is manufactured and stored during the night and used during the day for cooling the building. This shifts electricity use to off-peak times and allows the use of smaller chiller equipment.
Now that the guidelines have been established, a subcommittee will meet to discuss funding and ways to educate the public on the recommended standards. A year from now, the full committee will reconvene to evaluate how local governments and school systems have used the guidelines and make any necessary revisions.
The Wake County Public School System will be one of the first school systems to implement the high performance guidelines. WCPSS will incorporate many of the sustainability guidelines into its new building program, PLAN 2000. "With one of the largest building programs in this jurisdiction, we feel it's important for us to set an example and be responsible with our resources," said Jyoti Sharma, director of facility planning for WCPSS.
The school system gave the high performance guidelines to architects selected for upcoming new school and renovation projects. "We already included energy-efficient features such as daylighting in some schools, this is the next logical step," said Sharma.
The new PLAN 2000 design for a high school in Knightdale will include as many high performance guidelines as possible. The Durant and Dillard Middle design, already equipped with energy-saving features, will also be improved. Innovative Design, the architectural firm that created this particular middle design, will incorporate the guidelines into all their buildings, including the renovation project at Millbrook Elementary in 2003. The Timber Drive Elementary design, used five times, will also be revamped to include high performance guidelines for Heritage Elementary, opening in 2003.
Download "High Performance Guidelines: Triangle Region Public Facilities"