Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007 - (Page 52)

operational cost associated with the replacement filter systems that treat the fluid, according to John Dale, AIA, principal and pre K-12 studio leader, Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles. “Districts are sometimes averse to taking on operational costs above and beyond what is required of a conventional system, so products like the no-water urinal need to be refined to answer these concerns.” Bright ideas In the realm of lighting for K-12 institutions—energy efficiency and long life, to minimize maintenance—are key, although fluorescent products, known for these qualities, can be somewhat limiting from a design perspective. That’s why Darko Banfic, LC, associate, Peter Basso Assocs., Troy, Mich., prefers MR16 halogen lamps. Although MR16s typically don’t offer long life, that is beginning to change with products like an 18,000 hour-life MR16 lamp now coming to market. And with recent advances in metal-halide technology, which offers long life as well as efficacy, newer metal-halide PAR lamps and MR16-style lamps are available. “These products should be a good reason to eliminate the ‘bland’ right out of the buildings that are meant to be inspirational to the occupants,” claims Banfic, who’s been working as a designer for the past 22 years with a special emphasis on the education market. Another issue that Banfic raises is the fact that while occupancy and sensors and relay controls have become easy design solutions for accommodating energy codes, they often are implemented improperly and not understood by the maintenance staff. Fortunately, lighting manufacturers have been addressing this issue by consolidating and simplifying their control systems. Another product harnesses sunlight from the rooftop and utilizes a reflective tube and lens to redirect the natural light. According to Tonya M. JohnsonNicholie, associate architect and LEED coordinator with Schrock DeVetter Architects, P.A., Minneapolis, this product “puts a lens on the roof that captures light and bounces it down a reflective tube to a lens in the ceiling tile grid. [In a recent project], we brought natural light down into the core hallway and into the core side of the classrooms.” Also on the electrical side, more attention must be given to growing data centers, which have newly become new required infrastructure for schools. All too often, a school’s power infrastructure does not grow at the same pace as the data center, as was recently the case with the Aberdeen School District in Aberdeen, Miss. “Our primary problem was with our multiple battery backup units and not enough electrical infrastructure to support them and the data center,” explains District Director of Technology Kevin Knuckles. “In addition, we had no idea what our battery uptimes were, and we had power cables running across the floor.” What worked for Aberdeen was a redundant, scalable and modular power protection system. “Our system began saving us money right away … it runs more efficiently and has helped reduce our energy costs. Our cooling system runs more efficiently as well, due to the system dissipating less heat,” Knuckles attests. In control In the never-ending search for energy efficiency and reduced maintenance, building controls can play a key role in a school’s facilities plan. However, more often than not, attests Bill Cramer, AIA, Schemmer Associates, Omaha, Neb., control systems “can be very complex, “Our system began saving us money right away … it runs more efficiently and has helped reduce our energy costs.” sophisticated and dependent on computerized controls. Unfortunately, many times the system doesn’t operate as intended initially and needs to go through a ‘shake-down cruise.’” Although Cramer doesn’t have any magical products that are completely free of such issues, he does suggest contracting a commissioning provider, which is not a new trend, but something that is increasingly seen as important these days. “Their specialty is the real ‘inner workings’ and coordination of the hardware— fans, air handing units, motors, dampers, cooling equipment, piping, etc.—and the controls. The commissioning provider has both design skills—to understand the design intent—and construction expertise needed to trouble-shoot these systems,” Cramer says. His recent K-12 endeavors included overseeing more than $50 million in work for Millard Public Schools in Omaha, encompassing renovations to 18 elementary schools, two highs schools and five new elementary schools. A booming market But whether it is packaged ventilators, displacement ventilation systems, or MR16 luminaires, there will be lots of projects to apply new design approaches in the coming year with construction spending estimated at more than $80 billion, according to American School & University magazine’s “32nd Annual Official Education Construction Report.” In any case, the trick is keeping up with new technology solutions and products in order to present schools with the most efficient and effective design options available. 52 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • SEPTEMBER, 2007 Photography Courtesy of Fanning/Howey

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007

Contents M/E Roundtable Cover Story: Airborne Superbugs Third-Party Liability Back to School Product Spotlight Codes & Standards Professional Practices How To New Products Jobs/Cliassifieds Specifier’s Notebook Pure Power Supplement New Technologies, Same Old Transmission Problems Wireless Battery Recharging Solar Concentration Renewables Tracking System A Mighty Wind The Importance of Load Bank Testing Quality Power for Security Systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007

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