Sustainability
In addition to reusing the structures, wood salvaged from the demolition areas was repurposed in room dividers, desks, benches and stair treads. Reusing existing materials and structure not only kept the square-foot cost down, it contributed to the story of the buildings’ history, creating further continuity between old and new.
The 1970s church facility had suffered from outdated systems and energy inefficiencies. With the retrofit, Westside School had an opportunity to adapt state-of-the-art systems for an energy-efficient school building. All aspects of energy savings were looked at in the design, including lighting, daylighting, HVAC, natural ventilation and future PV panel mounting provisions.
New portions of the envelope were built to meet strict Seattle Energy Code requirements, and the majority of the gym and nave roofs and walls were replaced and/or re-insulated.
The philosophy for the mechanical system design was a “Design for Off” approach developed by the team’s mechanical designer, Ecotope, Seattle. The Design for Off approach allows equipment to be off most of the time, turning on only to satisfy loads when and where needed. At Westside School, the approach focused on right-sized zonal equipment that can operate independently from neighboring spaces for heating, cooling and ventilation. Each teacher has control over heating and cooling in his or her classroom. New classrooms feature operable windows to take advantage of Seattle’s moderate climate; ceiling fans help evenly distribute the fresh air and provide air movement for improved thermal comfort.
To appropriately orient and size skylights in the nave roof to reduce electric lighting loads in the newly created auditorium and library, the design team consulted with the University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab, an interdisciplinary organization in Seattle providing research-based technical guidance on sustainability measures. Windows throughout were sized “just right” to rely on daylight rather than electric lighting during daylight hours, reducing energy associated with the buildings’ LED lighting system.
Westside School now is one of the most energy-efficient schools in the Northwest, created with an extremely small HVAC budget and achieved by concentrating on introducing energy efficiency where it would count the most. First school year building operation achieved a measured EUI of 14 kBtu per square foot per year. The new building is 72 percent more efficient than the former building. The result is a building that easily meets the 2030 Challenge.
By reusing the original church wherever possible—juxtaposing new with old throughout the building—the team created design and environmental opportunities. The project minimized its embodied carbon footprint by not building new where existing structure could be reused, diverting waste from construction and demolition. The transformation of an outdated church facility into a highly efficient 53,000-square-foot school came in at $182 per square foot.
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects, Seattle
Gladys Ly-Au Young, principal in charge
Wing-Yee Leung, project architect
Rick Sundberg, associate principal
John Kennedy, associate principal
Frances Nelson, architectural designer
Myra Lara, architectural designer
Nicole Lew, architectural designer and graphics
ENVELOPE DESIGN: RDH, Seattle
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Quantum Consulting Engineering, Seattle
CIVIL ENGINEER: PACE Engineers, Kirkland, Wash.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER/ENERGY ANALYSIS: Ecotope, Seattle
LIGHTING: Pacific Lighting System, Kent, Wash., (206) 323-2200
ACOUSTICS: BRC Acoustics & Audiovisual Design, Seattle
STAGE (DESIGN-BUILD): Stagecraft Industries, Seattle
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Thomas Rengstorf and Associates, Seattle
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: Terra Associates, Seattle
CONTRACTOR: Kirtley Cole, Seattle
MECHANICAL DESIGN-BUILD: Emerald Aire, Seattle
ELECTRICAL DESIGN-BUILD: Prime Electric, Seattle
PLUMBING DESIGN-BUILD: Holmberg Co., Seattle
FIRE SAFETY DESIGN-BUILD: Smith Fire Systems, Fife, Wash.
Materials
CLASSROOM WINDOWS: Aluminum Clad from JELD-WEN
MAIN-ENTRY CURTAINWALL: 1600 Curtainwall from Kawneer
SKYLIGHTS: Crystalite Skylights
EXTERIOR CLADDING, BRICKS: Ebony from Mutual Materials
EXTERIOR CLADDING: JamesHardie
ROOFING, LOW-SLOPE AREAS: SBS Modified Membrane Roofing from Soprema
ROOFING, NAVE AND GYM: SBS Shingles Atlas StormMaster from Atlas Roofing
CARPET: Interface
LED LIGHTING: ConTech Lighting; Elite LED Lighting; Eureka; FineLite; Inter-Lux; Lithonia Lighting; Louis Poulsen; Peerless; Prudential Ltg.; Resolute; Vode; WAC Lighting; and Winona
HVAC: Big Ass Fans; Variable Refrigerant Flow from Mitsubishi; and Heat Pumps from York
ACOUSTICAL PANEL CEILING SYSTEM: FSorb
FLOOR ISOLATION MAT: Kinetics Noise Control
NOISEPROOFING COMPOUND: Green Glue
Photos: Benjamin Benschneider