A tour of Kinard Middle School's Green Building Features!

1. Kinard was originally built in 2006 and cost approximately
$17,000,000 to construct ($150/sq.ft.) Almost a decade
later, we are proud to say that Kinard is still the most
energy efficient school building in the State of Colorado.
On average, our school uses less energy per square foot
than any other site,. approximately 22 kBtu/sq. ft./yr.
Pick up a building tour brochure from the office and follow
the self-guided tour signs to learn more!
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Kinard’s Green School Overview
Kinard has scored a perfect 100, based on
Energy Star rating standards. In fact, Kinard
was the first school in the nation to move
from a “Designed to Earn” Energy Star status
to being awarded the Energy Star Award
within the first year after occupancy in 2007.

2. Renewable
Look at the picture below. Can you guess how
the electrical energy at Kinard is generated?
If you guessed WIND, you are correct!
• 75% of the total energy consumed at Kinard is
electricity and 100% of this energy is purchased
as wind credits by PSD. We invest in renewable
energy and a healthier planet.
2
Buildings don’t use energy, PEOPLE DO!
Electricity at Kinard … Artificial Lighting at Kinard
Coal Power Plant
VS.
• Artificial lighting accounts for
approximately 1/3 of our total
electric bill.
• All of our electric lights use high
efficiency bulbs which minimizes
the energy we consume.
Non-
Renewable
Wind Farm

3. 3
Lessons in the Media Center
Window Walls
Looking out the windows on the east side of the
media center, you will see metal “walls” with Kinard’s
name cut out of them. These structures are known as
window walls and were built to minimize the amount
of direct sunlight that travels through the windows.
This energy saving strategy keeps direct sunlight from
heating up the room, therefore, reducing the energy
demand on Kinard’s cooling system.
Look up! The ceiling in the media center
offers you a “peek behind the scenes” so that
you can see the inner workings of how Kinard
keeps people comfortable and happy. Can you
find the ventilation ducts and water drains
above the ceiling?
You may also see the
inner workings of an
exposed solar tube
extending down into the
ceiling from the roof.
These tubes bring
sunlight in from the roof
and distribute it evenly
across the room.
Let the Sun Shine In

4. 4
Window WallsSolar tubes look like electric
lights but actually collect
sunlight from a dome-like
window on the roof. The light
travels down through the ceiling
in a long reflective tube and is
dispersed into classrooms and
hallways.
Maximizing the
Amount of
Natural Daylight
in Our School
Kinard’s Rooftop
Now that’s a
bright idea!

5. 5
Maximizing the Natural Light
LOOK!!
The windows and solar tubes in Kinard bring in a
large amount of natural light. The building is
designed to efficiently distribute this light into all
areas of the building. This reduces the amount of
energy needed to power artificial electric lights
and creates a healthier learning environment.
Design Features
In order to maximize the natural light, our
building was designed to be transparent.
• This “see through” design allows
natural light to illuminate as much of
the building as possible.
• Take a look down this hallway…
Can you see the beautiful Colorado
foothills? That’s about as transparent
as a school gets!
Our building is designed and oriented to include
exterior windows in every classroom and
maximize natural light from sunrise to sunset.
EW
Did You Know?
Colorado has over 300
blue sky days every year.

6. You may find yourself wondering why our stairs are full of tiny holes
that resemble swiss cheese. These tiny perforations allow the light to
filter down and break up the gloomy, dark shadows in the spaces
below. The windows overlooking the balcony are designed to maximize
natural light. They also have a special glazing on the bottom rows to
avoid glare, but the top row is not tinted. This allows more light to
flood the ceiling and reflect down evenly below. The colored windows
break up the intensity of the light and add “sparkle” and character to
the school.
6
Bright Ideas…
Compare the number of solar
tubes vs. artificial lights used
to brighten the commons.
Transparent Stairs & Balcony Railing

7. Maximizing Light – Minimizing Electricity
Notice the large windows that allow daylight into the
classroom even when there is never direct sunlight
coming from the north. Glazing on the lower viewing
windows minimizes glare coming into the classroom
while the upper windows are glaze-free to allow all
light to enter the building.
Argon gas fills the layer between the double-paned,
low-E glass windows to create an insulated building
seal which reduces the amount
of energy that leaks out of the
building.
7
Take a look inside this classroom!
Another COOL feature . . .
Rooftop sensors monitor the amount
of daylight. Classroom lights are
automatically turned off if there is
enough natural light available.

8. Did you notice . . .
• Reflective light louvers on the top windows redirect sunlight
up towards the angled ceiling.
• The angled ceiling then distributes the light back down evenly
into the classroom below. This is called the cloud effect!
• Solar tubes provide even more natural light to the classroom
areas furthest from the windows.
• The color break on the walls is designed to help teachers leave
the white wall space free and clear in an effort to
maximize the performance of the lighting.
8
Take a look inside this classroom!

9. 9
Polyurethane Foam Insulation
Underneath the exterior bricks of Kinard is a 3 in.
layer of thick, spray-on foam. This helps create
an extra layer of protection from the elements.
The picture below is what Kinard looked like
before the exterior bricks were in place.
What is a Building Envelope?
Just like you seal something inside an envelope, a building envelope seals in the air we pump into
the building. Part of how we score so high on the Energy Star rating scale is by not letting our
valuable hot and cool air leak out of the windows and walls. Kinard is the most energy efficient
school in the State of Colorado in large part due to our extremely good insulation.
Windows are the greatest source of leaking
energy, so they require a strong barrier between
the inside and outside. Kinard’s windows are
double paned, low-e glass that contains a thin
layer of Argon gas in the middle. Below we can
see the building envelope being analyzed by an
infrared heat-sensing camera. The blue areas
show where the building needs a better seal.
Argon Gas Filled Windows

10. Above the banners in the gym, there are windows
made of Kalwall. This is a unique way to spread the
daylight evenly throughout the space through a
translucent canvas like material. Kalwall uses
prismatic glass fibers to distribute a balanced,
natural, and glare free light throughout the gym. It
also has excellent insulation properties to retain our
heat energy.
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Kalwall Windows
Our gym has sensors located in rafters.
These sensors detect the quantity of
CO2 being emitted by people breathing
and determines if the room is occupied
by a large volume of students. Once
the sensors are triggered, they
communicate with the ventilation
system, allowing more air to flow into
the gym. This cool trick allows us to
conserve energy when the gym is
vacant and not being used.
CO2 Occupancy Sensors

11. Buried 300 feet underground, there are 100
vertical pipes that enter what we refer to as the
“Goldilocks Zone” – It’s not too hot and not too
cold, but just right! Our goal is to capture the
temperature in this zone using a closed loop water
circulation system. The water is then pumped back
into our school and converted to heat or air
conditioning depending on the season.
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Goldilocks Zone!Look at the Recreation Field…
Can you Guess what's underneath the
grass field? Hidden below is another
unique energy feature, geothermal
wells. These wells are the beginning of
our geothermal heating and cooling
journey.

12. Our goal is to create an outdoor learning center and
garden just outside this door. It’s purpose would be
to allow students to learn in a new environment that
provides real world experiences and project-based
learning opportunities. Students would be able to
break free from traditional classrooms and integrate
class content across curriculums. This idea was
inspired by the Catalina Environmental Leadership
Program which gives us evidence that this new way of
learning has a positive effect on student outcomes.
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A Glimpse into our
Future Vision…
Feeding the Worms!
One of our ongoing projects, composting, is
well known. We hope to incorporate this
student-led project, as well as many others,
into our new outdoor learning center.

13. ZERO! Here at Kinard we are very conscious about our
trash and use of resources. How much of our trash is
actually trash? As it turns out, not much at all. We
have a Resource Management Center that is just around
the corner to encourage all of our students to make
positive choices when disposing of their lunch
waste. This is one of many reasons that Kinard students
have earned an Environmental Leadership Award and
the USDE Green Ribbon Schools Award.
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How many trash cans do you see?
Do you see those big concrete pillars just outside the
cafeteria windows? These serve a very important
purpose. They are used as a strategy to block and
minimize the amount of direct sunlight that hits
glass. When sunlight hits glass, it not only creates an
annoying glare, but it also raises the temperature in the
room and makes our air conditioner work overtime to
maintain a comfortable learning environment.
Window Wall Pillars

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We Add Up
No one can do everything, but
everyone can do something!
Our students built this giant plastic water bottle
with over 400 plastic water bottles collected from
our cafeteria. The bottle is the height if an average
8th grade student and represents the number of
plastic bottles we consume every week at Kinard!
When we originally took all of our trash cans
out of the cafeteria, our goal was to replace
them with this resource management center.
Here, students are faced with choices and a
chance to be responsible for their waste. This
entire area was created by students for
students. All signs and structures were
projects to make a real-world impact on our
community. Because of this student project,
Kinard diverts over 20,000 lbs of food waste
every year. All of these valuable resources
would have otherwise filled our landfills.
Kinard’s total landfill diversion rate is around
70% each year. This means that most of our
trash is not actually trash and we have re-
routed it to composting and recycling facilities.
Recycling & Composting Center

15. 15
Most of our homes use natural gas for
heating and cooling. This involves burning
non-renewable fossil fuels that pollute our
planet.
Geothermal energy is renewable and doesn't
rely on burning fuel. So it is better for our
environment! While it is costly to install a
GeoExchange system, it is a worthwhile
investment. It vastly cuts down on utility
costs every year, eventually paying itself off!
Geothermal Pump Room
Geothermal heating & cooling is used for our
school’s ventilation system. Located 300 feet below
our school are 100 wells that circulate water in a
closed loop to capture thermal energy at a
temperature of 60-70 ⁰F. The heat collected inside
the water wells is then pumped back up into our
school to this room, and is then transferred into our
ventilation ducts as warm or cool air.
Kinard’s Circulatory System
Heart= The pump room
Arteries= Heat pump supply
Veins= Heat pump return

16. 16
Inside this door you will find the water
furnaces that complete our geothermal
journey. The water that circulates inside the
wells below the school grounds is eventually
pumped into this hidden room behind the
lockers. Here, the temperature that is being
stored in the water is removed by the water
furnaces and injected into our air ducts that
feed into our classrooms.
Heating At Home
Most likely your home uses a natural gas
furnace. Using natural gas is a cheap and
abundant way to heat your home.
However, when burned it creates pollution
and releases greenhouse gases into the air.
It is also a non-renewable resource, which
means it will eventually run out.
Heating At Kinard
Geothermal heating & cooling is used for our
school ventilation system. This means that we have
100 underground pipes that circulate water 300 ft.
below our campus to capture a consistent temp
between 60-70°F. The heat collected inside the
wells is then pumped back up into our school. The
temperature in the water is released into our air
ducts as heat in the winter and AC in the summer.
Geoexhange System
• 100 Wells (300’ deep)
• 72 Heat Pumps
Look inside this closet door…
Vs.