The $195 million price tag is not the only green thing about the new Newton North High School.
The 47,000-square-foot building will come complete with environmentally conscious, green technology including rooftop solar panels, occupancy motion sensors and systems to reuse rainwater.
The technology will reduce yearly operating costs and shrink the high school's footprint on the environment.
North will be one of the first high schools in the state to be certified under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs (LEED) for schools, a current measurement to determine the "greenness" of a building.
"The environmental features that are contained within this building are a good investment from both an environmental and economical standpoint," said Mayor David Cohen. "It shows that you can be committed to conserving the environment and - at the same time - be cost conscious."
From the moment students swing open the schools door's on Sept. 9, 2010, they'll experience the green.
In selecting materials for the building - such as paints, glues, carpeting and flooring - engineers said they chose products with a low emission of volatile organic compounds (such as formaldehyde).
Instead of bathroom faucets spurting out water at the rate of 2 1/2 gallons per minute, the planned faucets will push out water at a rate of a half-gallon per minute. Nearly 50 percent less potable water will be used to flush the toilet and toilet water will be supplemented by stored rainwater.
From the floors students trudge on, to the walls they lean against, to the components students can't see - all of these features, taken as a whole, are made up of close to 20 percent recycled material. Close to 75 percent of the old building will be reused in the construction.
Motion sensor lights are now required by state code, and will conserve energy when classrooms are not occupied.
The lights will be purposefully dimmed based on the daylight streaming through the windows.
"We are daylight harvesting," said Arthur Cohen, chairman of the Design Review Committee, who walked through every step of the design phase with a team of volunteers. "The notion is taking advantage of daylight in order to try to reduce the dependence on lighting."
At least 5 percent of the electricity that brightens the classrooms will stem from solar panels on the roof. Unlike the current facility, classrooms in the new Newton North will be flooded with natural light.
The city's green engineer Chris Schaffner said a LEED certification does not just mean creating a better environment with the future in mind. It also means producing a better environment for the current occupants.
"We want to create a good learning environment," said Schaffner, principal of the Concord-based company, the Green Engineer. "More and more evidence shows that good air and good light is important and that day-lit classrooms have been known to increase test scores."
The windows are double glazed with a low-E coding, which means that they'll filter in light, but not heat. Schaffner said these windows are twice as good as what building code requires in terms of balancing daylight with classroom temperatures.
The city has chosen to forego an HVAC system mounted on the rooftop in favor of an internal system. Schaffner said that means outside noise from the building's operation will be reduced.
In addition, an internal, central plant is more efficient and easier to maintain, Schaffner said. The plant generates chilled and hot water through boilers and chillers, which is then piped through the building to various air-handling units.
"The result is a system that lasts longer, is easier to maintain, is quieter and has lower energy costs," Schaffner said, adding the central plant was one of seven options considered for the building. "The downside is that the construction costs are a little higher. But looked at from a life cycle perspective, the system chosen has the lowest life cycle cost of ownership."
In designing the high school, engineers used a computer simulation system that allowed them to weigh the effect of changes. Schaffner said this allowed the design team to ask, 'What if?' before building.
The project team also earned LEED points for buying from local vendors, signifying a reduction in transportation fuel. While the city was required by law to select subcontractors that offer the lowest price, if that contractor happens to be local, the city moves closer to a LEED certification for its high school.
North: The true green?
One local architect is skeptical that the city did everything it could to make the school green.
Anatol Zukerman, a longtime critic of North's design, said a sprawling structure makes the school inherently energy inefficient. He said a condensed building is both more effective and efficient to heat and cool.
The building also lacks a basement, which is one of the most energy-efficient spaces, Zukerman said. "The basement doesn't need to be cooled or heated as much as the rest of the building."
Lastly, the building was not situated on an east-west axis to take advantage of solar patterns.
"It's not as green as it could be," he said. "It's a lost opportunity."
While Schaffner understand the benefits of an east-west orientation in terms of harnessing solar energy, he said, in reality, the city would save one cent per one square foot a year.
Arthur Cohen disagrees. He said an east-west orientation wouldn't have been feasible because it would have conflicted with the current structure, interfered with the orientation of athletic fields and could have resulted in a more expensive site remediation. Cohen pointed to the number of south-facing windows - the optimal situation for drawing light - in the current design. The building may not be aligned to an east-west orientation, but many of its windows are south facing.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in creating a sustainable building has been balancing cost and green features, said Cohen.
While the high school may cost more at the outset, the city will be saving in the long run through reduced operating expenses.
While the public has been decrying the price tag, many on the design team know spending up front will pay off in the long run.
"A number of the elements could have been built for less," Cohen said. "But over the life of the building, the approach that has been taken will result in less energy usage."
Gutter acknowledged that the upfront expense - or the perception of high first costs - is one of the greatest deterrents for convincing communities to build green.
But the reality is, green buildings cost on average 2 percent more to build, and savings are generally paid back in the first two years of operation, Gutter said.
"Green schools are really about putting money back into the budget," she said. "It's a sensible investment to be making, especially when you know that the average school building lasts 40 to 50 years."
Despite the high initial cost for the school, Arthur Cohen is pleased with the push to go green.
"Environmental responsibility should be a priority for every responsible citizen. Everyone should be thinking of this," he said. "This building demonstrates that Newton has a commitment to providing a healthful and socially responsible environment for education."
Chrissie Long can be reached at clong@cnc.com.
