St. Stephen's Episcopal K-8 School

Cathedral Parish of St. Stephen's

Green Design Components by LEED ™ Category

Innovation and Design Process

When modeling studies showed that the planned neighboring high rise project (shown below) would render intended daylighting and solar energy strategies ineffective, St. Stephen's convinced the developer to become at least LEED Silver Rated. The belief was that the community benefit of a high performance 200,000 SF building would offset the losses sustained by the 15,000 SF classroom portion of St. Stephen's.

Sustainable Sites

• Urban redevelopment and storm water management for accommodating an additional 120 students without increasing building footprint
• Mixed commercial and residential neighborhood adjacent to a river park green space, government offices, and parking garage provide convenient location for church staff, teachers and parents
• Rainwater collection system at school building for new planters.

Energy & Atmosphere

• Energy modeling helped determine the appropriate thermal & window glazing performance, lighting/control system requirements
• A 22% reduction in energy consumption was achieved beyond the base ASHRAE 90-1 standard
• Possible increase in initial costs of systems would be paid back in 1.4 years
• Water source heat pumps will take advantage of waste heat and cool sinks created by the opposite schedules that the school and church have within the building complex, thus reducing heating and cooling equipment loads
• Maximized daylighting in classrooms to reduce the amount of electricity required for lighting

Materials & Resources

• Fly-ash in new concrete to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by using industrial by-product from coal fired power plants.
• Majority of products and finishes purchased from manufacturers located within 500 miles
• High percentage of recycled content in materials used: rubber flooring, cellulose insulation, fiberglass insulation, wallboard, ceiling tile, structural steel, etc.
• Wood products harvested from sustainably managed forests, along with salvaged wood.
• Flooring materials include linoleum, rubber and recycled glass floor tile
• Zero VOC and Low-VOC based paints and sealants
• Onsite sorting and storage of construction waste for reuse and recycling

Indoor Air Quality

• Ventilation of the Cathedral Nave achieved by exhausting air through original roof vents that were augmented with in-line fans, CO2 sensors and ductwork to enhance a natural stack effect for air quality and enhanced comfort.
• New environmental systems will provide for adequate outside air and humidity control (to control toxic molds and other similar problems)
• Strict policy established on the types, use, and storage of chemicals and cleaning materials used in the Cathedral complex