Page 13 - School Planning & Management, October 2017

WHOLE
Hastings Elementary School for Duncanville ISD
SYSTEMS
An integrated approach to sustainability.
DESIGN
By Jason Mellard, AIA, LEED-AP
FROM HERE TO THERE
The sustainability of a place is shaped by what enters and leaves it. Cars and buses transport students and staff to campus each morning. Power for a school is supplied from the city grid, or collected from the sun, earth or wind. During con- struction, materials from quarries and forests are processed, stored in warehouses and delivered to the campus. Leaving the site, water runoff fills storm lines, and recycling and trash is sent to sorting centers and landfills. By reducing the nega- tive impact of these systems of transportation, energy, water, manufacturing and waste, as well as caring for the needs of the students and faculty, school districts can steward well the resources of the communities that support them, and set an example of sustainability.
In designing for vehicles, a clear separation of cars, buses and pedestrians improves traffic flow and safety. As a part of the reworking of Grand Prairie (Texas) ISD’s first high school, various bus drop offs were removed from the campus core and consolidated across a street that, during design, was coordinated with the city to be closed off from public access. This prioritized pedestrians and enabled the inclusion of a landscaped courtyard as part of the school’s masterplan. Additionally, community initiatives such as iBike Rosemont, a week-long annual event led by Bike Friendly
Oak Cliff members for their Dallas ISD elementary school, encourage students and families to bike to school and promote awareness and safety.
OCTOBER 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 13
PHOTOS © CHARLES DAVIS SMITH, AIA