Ashland High School, Ashland Public Schools
(Ashland High School)

Overview

Location: Ashland, MA
Building type(s): K-12 education
New construction
202,000 ft2 (18,800 m2)
Project scope: 2-story building
Suburban setting
Anticipated completion date: January 2006
Rating: • Collaborative for High Performance Schools --Level: 30

Ashland High School is the first high school to be built in Ashland since 1928. Many energy efficient technologies (architectural, mechanical systems, lighting aystems & equipment loads, water system, and photovoltaics systems) were incorporated to reduce energy use by an estimated 27% relative to similarly sized high schools built using conventional designs and equipment.

A 33.6kW solar panel installation is projected to produce enough energy for 3% of the building's electrical load.

Environmental Aspects

Technologies incorporated to improve energy efficiency and minimize environmental impacts include daylighting, energy recovery in the auditorium space, variable flow pumps, an energy efficient domestic water heater, optimized boiler plant, optimized chiller plant, and solar panels.

In addition, several studies were conducted in support of this project on issues including storm water pollution and management, waste reduction and efficient material use, wetlands and wildlife, electric & magnetic field (EMF), and noise reduction.

The sustainability criteria set forth by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) were incorporated throughout the design process. The project was awarded 30 CHPS points.

The Ashland School Building Expansion Committee elected to pursue a secondary track to CHPS, which included registering the project with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and seeking LEED certification.

Owner & Occupancy

Owned by Town of Ashland, Local government
Occupants: Individual(s)
Typically occupied by 1,060 people

Most of the building spaces are occupied at various levels from 6am to 9pm Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 7am until 6pm. The student population is approximately 900.

Building Programs

Indoor Spaces:	Classroom (25%), Conference (12%), Office (12%), Gymnasium (12%), Other (11%), Circulation (10%), Laboratory (10%), Cafeteria (8%)
Outdoor Spaces:	Athletic field (30%), Parking (25%), Garden—decorative (20%), Other (15%), Pedestrian/non-motorized vehicle path (10%)

Keywords

Integrated team, Green specifications, Commissioning, Wildlife habitat, Wetlands, Stormwater management, Wastewater treatment, Insulation levels, Glazing, Passive solar, HVAC, Lighting control and daylight harvesting, Efficient lighting, On-site renewable electricity, Recycled materials, Occupant recycling, Daylighting, Natural ventilation, Ventilation effectiveness, Thermal comfort, Noise control, Low-emitting materials, Indoor air quality monitoring

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