Sustainable School Architecture: Design for Elementary and Secondary Schools [Hardcover]

Lisa Gelfand (Author), Eric Corey Freed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470445432 | ISBN-13: 978-0470445433 | Edition: 1

Get the comprehensive guide to the sustainable design of schools.

The elementary and secondary school buildings and campuses built today are the schools of the future. Sustainable School Architecture is a guide to the planning, architecture, and design of schools that are healthy, stimulating, and will conserve energy and resources. Written with the needs of architects, construction professionals, educators, and school administration in mind, the book provides a road map for sustainable planning, design, construction, and operations.

By its very nature, a school is often the centerpiece of its community and, therefore, well positioned to take the lead in influencing environmental awareness. Building on this point, Sustainable School Architecture shows how eco-friendly practices for school construction can create an environment that young students will emulate and carry into the world. Written by experts on sustainable school design, this book:

• Focuses on the links between best sustainable practices and the specific needs of educational institutions.
• Has nineteen international case studies of the best contemporary sustainable schools located in urban, suburban, and rural communities in temperate, tropical, and extreme climate zones.
• Contains valuable information on the California Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED?) rating system.
• Serves as a resource for incremental modernization and operation strategies as well as comprehensive transformation.
• Offers tips on running an integrated, community-based design process with support information on the materials and systems of the sustainable school.
• Includes contributions by experts on approaches to the sites, systems, maintenance, and operation of sustainable schools.

With a practical overview of how sustainability can be achieved in new and existing schools, and how to maintain this momentum in the years ahead, this important book provides architects with detailed guidance for designing healthier learning environments to help usher in a more promising future.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A comprehensive guide to the sustainable design of schools

The elementary and secondary school buildings and campuses built today are the schools of the future. Sustainable School Architecture is a guide to the planning, architecture, and design of schools that are healthy, stimulating, and will conserve energy and resources. Written with the needs of architects, construction professionals, educators, and school administration in mind, the book provides a road map for sustainable planning, design, construction, and operations.

By its very nature, a school is often the centerpiece of its community and, therefore, well positioned to take the lead in influencing environmental awareness. Building on this point, Sustainable School Architecture shows how eco-friendly practices for school construction can create an environment that young students will emulate and carry into the world. Written by experts on sustainable school design, this book:

• Focuses on the links between best sustainable practices and the specific needs of educational institutions

• Has nineteen international case studies of the best contemporary sustainable schools located in urban, suburban, and rural communities in temperate, tropical, and extreme climate zones

• Contains valuable information on the California Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system

• Serves as a resource for incremental modernization and operation strategies as well as comprehensive transformation

• Offers tips on running an integrated, community-based design process with support information on the materials and systems of the sustainable school

• Includes contributions by experts on approaches to the sites, systems, maintenance, and operation of sustainable schools

With a practical overview of how sustainability can be achieved in new and existing schools, and how to maintain this momentum in the years ahead, this important book provides architects with detailed guidance for designing healthier learning environments to help usher in a more promising future.

About the Author

Lisa Gelfand, AIA, LEED AP, one of the preeminent experts in green school design and construction, is managing principal of Gelfand Partners Architects (gelfand-partners.com) in San Francisco. With more than three decades of experience, she has served on the technical committee of the California Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). Her firm, which has designed many award-winning sustainable schools and has been the district architect for several school districts, has pioneered innovative ways to serve public and not-for-profit clients with practical and affordable sustainable architecture.

Eric Corey Freed, LEED AP, the founding principal of organicARCHITECT (organicarchitect.com) based in San Francisco and Palm Springs, California, is a nationally known sustainability expert who is the author of Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies, published by Wiley.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470445432
• ISBN-13: 978-0470445433
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sustainable Schools a must read!, August 25, 2010

By 

Smoove L. "Architect" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sustainable School Architecture: Design for Elementary and Secondary Schools (Hardcover)

"Sustainable School Architecture: Design for Elementary and Secondary Schools" is an important book. An important book for not just architects of schools, but for all architects and those interested in the sustainable issues our country is now confronting.

Author Lisa Gelfand uses a holistic approach to describe the different ways to make greener, more efficient, and, in the end, better environments for learning. Every sustainable element is thoroughly described and backed up with numerous examples. More often than not, the solutions offered in this book are not overly complex or "Swiss-watchy", but are often practical, thrifty, and easy to implement. This is an especially salient when working with a client who is afraid that a sustainable architecture will make their building not affordable.

In my professional experience, there exists a pandemonium of a buzzwords in the design business, "green" and "sustainable" are frequently used but not accurately followed through into reality. Lisa Gelfand has made real a thoughtful and well-researched approach to sustainable school design. She is truly a leader in her field.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book on Sustainable Schools, August 25, 2010

By 

nic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sustainable School Architecture: Design for Elementary and Secondary Schools (Hardcover)

I've been interested in sustainable architecture specifically focused on schools for some time but did not, until now, come across a book that covered this topic. This book is superb - it is filled with actual schools, specific examples, that exemplify all the ideas that the authors describe in the text. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in finding out more about how the issue of sustainability can drive the future of school architecture and, in turn, the learning environment that such architecture fosters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Schools are the future of Learning, September 9, 2010

By 

Dan Goldstein (San Franciso, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sustainable School Architecture: Design for Elementary and Secondary Schools (Hardcover)

Great book. Documents schools from around the world. Some interesting ideas that would probably benefit anyone working in school design.