Building Industry, June 2010

HPA’s new 6,122-square-foot Energy Lab exceeds LEED-platinum requirements and is the third project in the world to meet the Living Building Challenge.

Kahu Danny Akaka blesses the new Energy Lab while (from left): Lindsay Barnes, HPA headmaster; Ken Melrose, Paahana Enterprises LLC; Dr. Bill Wiecking, HPA Energy Lab director; and Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, president of Global Footprint Network, look on.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) on the Big Island celebrated in April the grand opening of the newest building on campus, an innovative net-zero Energy Lab designed to exceed LEED-platinum requirements and meet the Living Building Challenge program designed by the Cascadia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. It is only the third project in the world to meet this challenge.

To have a net-zero building, the two basic goals are to 1) produce your own energy and 2) conserve or use as little energy as possible, explains David Croteau, AIA, LEED-AP, of Flansburgh Architects, the lead design firm for the project. The building was built by general contractor Quality Builders, Inc., with Ken Melrose of Paahana Enterprises LLC as the project manager.

To produce energy, the lab was installed with a 27-kilowatt photovoltaic system and is located on a south facing slope with no trees or buildings to cast a shadow on it. “In fact, the building uses only 20-30 percent of the energy it produces and the excess is net-metered back into the campus,” says Croteau, “making the building not only net-zero but net-negative.”
To conserve energy, the building also is situated in the upper reaches of the campus to harness the 20 mph winds. “It is naturally ventilated, with no mechanical systems needed to condition the building,” Croteau adds. “Secondly, it’s designed with skylights and windows for daylighting. I’ve never been there during the day when there has been a light on. So, really, the biggest energy use for the building are the computers and other technology the students use for their work.”

Besides net-zero energy usage, the 6,112-square-foot lab also is net-zero water. “It does not take any water from the municipal water system,” Croteau says.

The building also does not use certain specific materials such as formaldehyde, mercury, lead or vinyl, as outlined by the Living Building Challenge. “Another requirement of the challenge is materials have to come from within a certain allowable radii,” adds Croteau. “The idea is to make buildings more regional and less global and to save energy in producing buildings by having more materials come from a closer distance.”

The two-story structure, which also has a basement for storage, features open classroom areas and outdoor courtyards and decks that are protected from the wind, designed to encourage collaborative learning.

“To improve the world, we must educate the children,” says the donor who funded the project and wishes to remain anonymous. “They are receptive, they are enthusiastic about learning and trying to find solutions to problems at their level.”

Since its completion, the Energy Lab has been attracting interest in partnerships from local and mainland colleges, include the University of Hawaii, Stanford University and Cornell University.

(Editor’s note: Learn more about the Living Building Challenge by following this link

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