The recently completed Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) Energy Research Laboratory will be the first K-12 school facility in the world to meet the Living Building Challenge. Designed by Boston-based Flansburgh Architects, the 6,112-square-foot high school science laboratory functions as a zero-net-energy, fully sustainable building, generating all its power from photovoltaic and windmill sources. In addition, the facility captures and filters all of its own drinking and wastewater, and generates hot water from solar thermal panels. The entire building is naturally ventilated and utilizes an experimental radiant cooling system as an alternative to air conditioning.
The Energy Lab self-regulates its interior climate, maintaining temperature, relative humidity, and carbon-dioxide levels in all spaces at all times via input from more than 250 sensors to the custom-designed automation system. It has generated nearly 7,000 kW hours of electricity in its first 60+ days of use, exceeding the annual performance estimated during the design phase. The Energy Lab presently uses only 30 percent of the energy it produces; the balance is net-metered back into the HPA campus grid.
Construction on the Energy Lab was completed in January. To meet the Living Building Challenge (LBC), formaldehyde, PVC, halogenated flame retardants, chlorines, and bromides were not used. In addition, all wood used in the project was Forest Stewardship Council certified or from salvaged sources. Furthermore, the LBC established transportation distance requirements for all building materials. Heavy-density materials had to be transported from a distance no greater than 1,000 miles, medium-density materials no greater than 3,000 miles, and light-density materials no greater than 5,000 miles. Because of Hawaii’s remote location, it was a challenge to achieve these criteria.
“We designed the Energy Lab to have three zones that mimic the creative process students experience when working on projects, from brainstorming to design to physical construction,” says Flansburgh’s David Croteau, project architect. The two-story building features open classroom areas, outdoor courtyards and decks, individual project rooms, a monitoring lab, a video conference room, and basement for storage. The central structure is a collaborative flexible open space. The front section is workshop where all building and testing takes place.
“The building’s configuration facilitates scientific study indoors and out, linking interior spaces with the surrounding landscape,” Croteau adds. “Students are constantly surrounded by the systems they study, where HPA’s Energy Lab offers a continuous, sustainable teaching moment.”
In addition to being a candidate for the living building challenge, the lab is awaiting Platinum LEED certification from the USGBC.
