Slideshow from a presentation that I gave at the Green Schools Summit and Expo in Anaheim in December 2008. Download at http://www.qka.com/Resources.php

1. CHPS
American Canyon High School :
A CHPS Case Study

2. CHPS
American Canyon
High School Facts
• 2200 students, 260,000 s.f.,
$121 million
• First CHPS Verified Project,
earning 47 points.
• Earned $1,000,000 in extra
funding from OPSC Prop 1D
• Produces 55% of it’s electricity
• Uses 55% less potable water

3. CHPS
Presentation Outline
1. Project History and Process
Don Evans, NVUSD
2. Campus Design
Aaron Jobson, QKA
3. Break
4. Collaborative Design Process
Aaron Jobson, QKA
5. CHPS Verified Submittal
Melanie Jacobsen, AEC
6. OPSC Prop 1D Submittal
Aaron Jobson, QKA
7. Lessons Learned
Aaron Jobson, QKA
8. Questions

4. CHPS
Project History and Process Don Evans, NVUSD

5. CHPS
NVUSD
• Serves most of Napa County
• 17,500 students
• 23 Elementary Schools
• 5 Middle Schools
• 5 High Schools
• Diverse student body

6. CHPS
The City of American
Canyon
• Incorporated in 1992
• Rapid population growth from
9,774 in 2000 to 15,276 in
2008.
• Suburban, bedroom community
at the southern end of Napa
County
• No Downtown, Civic Center or
other Civic face to the City

7. CHPS
Environmental
Leadership
• Pragmatic approach to
Environmental and Economic
goals.
• First Hybrid School Bus.
• 20% Energy use reduction
program.
• Developing District wide Solar
Energy program

8. CHPS
ACHS Project
• Began in 2003 with purchase of
land.
• Long and complicated site acquisition
and permitting process including 320
acres for environmental mitigation
• Goal is to alleviate bussing of over
1,000 students from AC to Napa
every day and accommodate
growth.
• First new High School in District since
1970’s

9. CHPS
ACHS Programming
• 10 month interactive process with
the Community.
• Innovative Educational Program
focused on Small Learning
Communities and Career
Pathway Centers.
• Excellent community involvement.
• Joint use with the City of AC and
Napa Valley College

10. CHPS
Campus Design Aaron Jobson, QKA

11. CHPS
The City of American Canyon

12. CHPS
Educational Program
• Small Learning Communities
• Career Pathway Centers
• Strong sense of Campus
Community
• Connections between uses
• Joint Use of Facilities

13. CHPS
Sustainable Design
• Energy Efficiency
• Stormwater Management and
Filtration
• Water Efficiency
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Keep it within the budget

14. CHPS
Site Plan

15. CHPS
Enlarged Site Plan

16. CHPS
Campus Fly-through

17. CHPS
Sustainable Design Strategies Daylight and PV

18. CHPS
Sustainable Design Strategies Materials and Systems

19. CHPS
High Performance Features CHPS Criteria

20. CHPS SS1.3 - 1pt & SS1.4 - 1pt
Central Location
Joint Use
• 50% of students live within 4
miles
• Stops the bussing of 1200+
students to Napa
• Joint Use of Theater with City of
American Canyon
• Napa Valley College
Classrooms incorporated into
the Campus to create Middle
College Program

21. CHPS SS1.6 - 1pt
Reduced Building
Footprint HA
E L E V.
LOBBY
SHAFT
• All major buildings are 2 stories HALL
or more
• Most functions aggregated into
6 main buildings
• Floor Area Ratio of 1.8
• Per square foot construction cost
was less than comparable single
story high school construction

22. CHPS SS2.2 - 1pt
Bicycle Use
• 250 bicycle racks provided
• Bike Racks are distributed
around the campus
• Sidewalks extended to connect
with adjacent developments and
bike path along American
Canyon Creek

23. CHPS SS3.2 - 1pt
Storm-water Treatment
and Management
• Bio-Swale to filter storm-water
naturally as it moves through the
site
• Retention basins to slow storm-
water flow into American
Canyon Creek
• Construction Stormwater
management practices to
prevent water pollution. Storm-
water Pollution Prevention Plan
(SWPPP)

24. CHPS SS4.2 - 1pt & SS5.1 - 1pt
Cool Roofs & Reduced
Light Pollution
• Roof materials which reflect,
rather than absorb, sunlight.
• Reduces Urban Heat Island
affect and reduces the heat gain
for the building.
• Typically light colored versions
of standard roof materials.
• Light fixtures with cut-off optics
focus light onto ground and
minimize light transmitted to the
neighborhood and atmosphere

25. CHPS SS6.1 - 1pt
Schools as a
Learning Tool
• Touchscreen Kiosk and Website
displays information about the
High Performance Features
• Students, teachers and
community can learn about the
features and how to take
advantage of them.
• Real-time information about
energy use and production.

26. CHPS WE 1.1 - 2pt
Reduced Water Use -
Landscaping
• City supplied non-potable water
used for all irrigation. No
potable water use.
• Native and drought tolerant
plants used throughout campus.
• Synthetic turf field at stadium
reduces water use.
• All irrigation systems are
automatically controlled.

27. CHPS WE 2.1 - 1pt
Reduced Water Use -
Toilets and Urinals
• Waterless Urinals
• Already used by NVUSD in all
restrooms for 3 years with
positive results.
• Dual Flush toilets.
• 52% less water use than industry
standard.

28. CHPS WE 2.2 - 2pt
Reduced Water Use -
Indoor
• Sink Faucets operated by self-
charging sensors.
• Low-flow shower heads.
• 58% Less water use than
industry standard.

29. CHPS EE 1.1 &1.2 - 12pts
Energy Efficiency -
Building Envelope
• High insulation values
• R-26 at most exterior walls.
• R-38 at most roofs
• High Performance insulated
glass with low-e coatings
• Thermally broken aluminum
frames.

30. CHPS EE 1.1 &1.2 - 12pts
Energy Efficiency -
Lighting
• Classrooms have fluorescent
direct-indirect suspended
fixtures.
• Efficiently provides excellent
general illumination.
• Lighting power use is 30% lower
than Title 24 baseline.
• Daylighting controls and
occupancy sensors throughout

31. CHPS EE 1.1 &1.2 - 12pts
Energy Efficiency -
Mechanical System
• Ground Source Heat Pump
Mechanical System.
• Uses the constant 60 degree
temperature of the ground to
provide heat and cooling.
• Individual heat-pump units in
classrooms.
• 300 wells, each 300 feet deep
are tied together into a closed
loop system.

32. CHPS EE 2.1 - 3pts
Renewable Energy
• 400 kw roof mounted PV
system.
• PV Glass at major entries
provides a visible face to the PV
system and provides shading.
• 600kw ground mounted system
at north west edge of the
campus.
• 55% Grid Neutral. (Based on
Title 24 estimate)

33. CHPS EE 3.1 & EE 3.2 - 1pt
Commissioning
• Enhanced Commissioning
provided.
• The bridge from the design
through construction to operations.
• Critical to the successful
implementation and use of the
building systems as designed.
• Pays for itself many times in
wasted energy, conflict and other
problems.

34. CHPS ME 2.1 - 1pt
Construction Waste
Management
• 75% of Construction Waste to
be recycled.
• Contractor generates
Construction Waste
Management Plan and tracks
amount of materials sent to
landfill and recycled.
• Materials are sorted and
organized onsite.

35. CHPS ME 4.1 - 1pt
Recycled Content
• Prescriptive Method:
• Landscape Mulch: 100%
• Standing Seam Metal Roof: 50%
• Wheel Stops: 100%
• Carpet: 30%
• Prescriptive method chosen to
prevent the requirement for the
contractor to track the value of all
recycled materials.
• Recycled content considered and
specified in many other materials.

36. CHPS ME 4.1 - 1pt
Recycled Content
• Non-Credit Recycled Materials:
• Steel (structural and framing): 23-85%
• Ceiling Tiles: 15-26%
• Gypsum Board: 18-50%
• Fly Ash: 50% of cement
• Fiberglass Insulation: 22%
• MDF: 30%
• Aluminum Storefront: 60% of Frames

37. CHPS ME 4.2 - 1pt
Rapidly Renewable
Materials
• Linoleum specified for resilient
flooring in classrooms, hallways,
lobbies, etc.
• Cork-faced tackboard used
instead of vinyl faced tackwall.

38. CHPS EQ 1.1 - 1pt
Daylighting
• 37% of classrooms meet CHPS
Daylighting criteria.
• All Classrooms designed to
provide balanced daylight and
minimize the use of lights.
• Gymnasium and Multi-use
spaces will operate without
lights.
• Daylight controls in all rooms.

39. CHPS EQ 1.1 - 1pt
Daylighting
• Translucent Daylighting Glazing
used in Classroom Transom
windows and at Gymnasium
windows.
• Solatube and translucent
skylights used to provide
balanced daylighting.
• BIM based dayighting modeling
integrated into the design
process.

40. CHPS EQ 1.2 - 1pt & EQ 1.3 - 1pt
Classroom Lighting &
View Windows
• Direct-Indirect Fluorescent
lighting with separate fixture for
the teaching wall.
• Switching for AV mode per
CHPS.
• 100% of Classroom, Admin and
Library areas have View
Windows.
• Daylighting controls

41. CHPS EQ 2.2 - 3.5pts
Low Emitting
Materials
• 7 Specified Low Emitting
Materials:
• Carpet
• Paint
• Linoleum
• Gypsum Board
• Insulation
• Acoustical Ceilings
• Cabinetry

42. CHPS EQ 2.3 - 1pt & EQ2.5 - 1pt
Pollutant Source
Control and Filtration
• Contracted Removable mats at
main entries
• Integrated carpet walk-off areas
at exterior classroom entries.
• MERV 11 Filters Specified on all
equipment.

43. CHPS EQ 3.1 - 3pts
Improved Acoustics
• Background noise at 35 dBa,
Reverberation time of 0.6s.
• Acoustic Tile Ceilings and Carpet
• STC 45-60 rated walls
• Ground Source Heat Pump
mechanical units are much quieter
than typical package units.
• Acoustically lined ducts and sound
traps used where required.

44. CHPS EQ 4.1 - 2pts
Controllability of
Systems
• Each Classroom is served by a
separate heat-pump unit.
• HVAC for each classroom is
independently controlled.
• Operable windows in each
classroom provide for natural
ventilation.

45. CHPS
Break 15 Minutes

46. CHPS
OPSC Prop. 1D Funding Aaron Jobson

47. CHPS
Submittal Process
• Complete CHPS Verified Design Submittal
• CHPS will submit documentation to DSA High Performance Incentive
Review
• DSA checks documentation and issues letter stating number of credits
• DSA HPI review letter submitted to OPSC with application

48. CHPS
Funding Limitations
• Funds allocated as a percentage increase to OPSC per pupil base grant.
• No funding if District does not have OPSC eligibility
• Modernization base grants are much smaller than new construction.
Therefore funds allocated for Modernization projects will usually cover
Commissioning and submittal costs.
• Results in funding amounts that are significant, but not huge. ACHS
received ~$1,000,000 which is 0.8% of the construction cost.

49. CHPS
Sustainable Design Process Collaboration

50. CHPS
Integrated Design
Team
• Bring all stakeholders and
contributors together to set
project goals at the beginning.
• Encourage collaboration
throughout the design process.
• Use each team member’s
expertise to make key decisions
early in the design process
• Evaluate design progress
against original goals.

51. CHPS
Lease-Leaseback
Project Delivery
• Allows collaboration with
Contractor and key sub-
contractors throughout the
design process.
• Allows selection of good,
qualified Contractor and sub-
contractors who are familiar
with High Performance Schools.
• Greater ability to partner with
manufacturers to integrate new
technology.

52. CHPS
Building Information
Modeling
• Dynamic 3D model of the
building that generates 2D
documentation.
• Also allows 3D coordination
between engineers, architect,
contractor, sub-contractors and
suppliers.
• Supports and empowers
Integrated Design and
Construction teams.

53. CHPS
Better Design
Communication
• 3D renderings and animations
are more effective tools for
communication of design to
community, client, and design
team
• Can easily show and evaluate
changes and options in 3D
• 3D images generated from the
working model, no duplication
of work

54. CHPS
BIM Supports
Collaboration
• Allows Architects to view
consultants work in our 3D
models.
• Easily communicate conflicts and
potential solutions.
• Quickly evaluate alternate
design solutions to a problem.

55. CHPS
Design in 3D
• Better understanding of building
by the whole design team.
• Better coordination of details
and actual building conditions.
• Easier to assess impacts of
design decisions.
• More engaging and educational
for younger staff members.

56. CHPS
Use BIM for Analysis
• Use the BIM model for dynamic
analysis of many factors
throughout the design process
• At ACHS:
• Site Analysis
• Sun Shading
• Daylighting
• Other analysis options:
• Thermal Performance
• Ventilation (CFD)
• Acoustics

57. CHPS
Site Analysis
• Used BIM model in Google
Earth to analyze and check sight
lines and views.
• 3D model and 2D site plan
imported into Google Earth and
meshed with topography.
• Model and site plan information
can be shared with other
Google Earth users.

58. CHPS
Solar Shading
• Used Ecotect’s Solar Tool to
analyze potential shading
strategies for a typical window
• Real-time feedback is provided
for shading designs for a point
in time and over the year.
• Allows for easy comparison of
shading options and their
benefits.

59. CHPS
Daylighting
• Used Ecotect to analyze
classrooms for a variety of
daylighting criteria.
• Provides daylighting and
shading analysis in a
graphically rich 3D environment.
• Can be easily configured to
analyze classrooms according to
the CHPS Daylighting criteria.

60. CHPS
Lessons Learned Aaron Jobson

61. CHPS
Integrated Design
and Collaboration
• The more the better.
• Close collaboration with
engineers beginning early in the
design process.
• Close collaboration with the
Owner.
• Lease-Leaseback allows
collaboration with Contractor
and sub-contractors.

62. CHPS
Natural Ventilation
• Great potential for energy
savings.
• Improves indoor air quality.
• Possible in many California
climates for much of the year.
• Requires a shift in thinking for
engineers, architects, owners
and especially users.
• Design Mechanical systems as a
back-up only

63. CHPS
Plug Load
Management
• As other electric loads such as
lighting and HVAC decrease,
Plug Loads are a larger
percentage of electricity use.
• Has the potential for significant
energy savings.
• Possible integration with EMS
systems and occupancy sensors.
• Requires close participation of
Owner and Teachers.

64. CHPS
More BIM
• Get engineers working in BIM
on all projects.
• Use BIM model throughout
construction.
• Integrate and require 3D shop
drawings.
• Create BIM as-built for use as a
Facilities Management
throughout the life of the
building.

65. CHPS
Making the Case
• Be honest, straight forward and
pragmatic.
• Listen
• Present people the facts, let them
make the decisions, respect their
opinions.
• Engage industry experts to help
you where appropriate.
• Don’t give up

66. CHPS
Campaign for Green
• Make Sustainable Design and
CHPS part of your basic design
process on every project.
• Make the case at all levels:
Public, Board, Administration,
Maintenance, Staff, Students
• Make the business case.
• Don’t forget: It’s the right thing to
do.

67. CHPS
Thanks to QKA Team: Anna Wells,Barry Power, Bryan Chubb, Cam Hawing, Chris Scofield, Dan Malone, Jeff
Howe, Jon Stong, Lyanne Schuster, Maria Thomas, and Shama Odenburg.
Consultant Team: ZFA Structural Engineers, Costa Engineers, O’Mahony & Meyer, The Shalleck Collaborative,
Chaudhary Associates, Gretchen Stranzl McCann Landscape Architect, Monk and Associates, Kleinfelder, Green
Building Studio, Architectural Energy Corporation, Counselman Hunsaker, Ballinger Kitchen Design, Lohden Steele,
Excelize, Inc.
Questions Thanks!