SPRING 2021
Lessons in design for K-12
IN Session
Topics and trends for educators and administrators from LaBella’s educational design & engineering team
Spring syllabus j
BOCES Administrators Share Their Story
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Managing Vocational and Special Education Needs in a Year Like No Other How to Pitch Your Event Tent to NYSED
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Dansville CSD Breaks Ground
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RIT Global Cybersecurity Institute is Award-Winning
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LED Lights Allow For Illumination with Impunity
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The Latest Ventilation and Filtration Guidance
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In Session LaBella Associates |
Spring 2021
LaBella Welcomes Dan Milgate! “PUBLIC OFFICE IS A PUBLIC TRUST.”
IN YOUR OWN WORDS This issue, we’re excited to present an interview with the administration team of Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES as they reflect back on the past school year. LaBella has been privileged to be a partner with BOCES 2 for many years and, following this interview, we are more motivated than ever to help their team accomplish their goals. Quite simply, there is nothing more inspiring to us than hearing educators talk about their commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for their students. The best way for us to deliver pedagogy-centered design solutions is to engage with, and listen to, educators. It’s why we’ve been excited to be a place where retired superintendents can bring their knowledge and continue to impact instruction through the built environment. See the sidebar at right to get to know our latest hire, Dan Milgate! The details of pandemic response, from event tents to ventilation and filtration, are things you can rely on your consulting partners to help you navigate. Helpful synopses of these topics are included here. We’re looking forward to more discussion of your students, your passion, and how your facilities help you achieve those goals. Let us know what’s inspiring you this summer. We welcome your comments and input at insession@labellapc.com.
“Every day as an educator, you have the potential to make a positive difference in a child’s life. I can’t think of another career that provides the opportunity to have that kind of impact.” Recently retired superintendent Dan Milgate of the Spencerport Central School District shared these words upon reflection of his 33-year career in education and retirement. Dan knew he wanted to be an educator after working as a high school football coach and security guard in the Greece Central School District in 1987. This experience inspired him to redirect his master’s degree from business administration to business education. Spencerport hired him in 1995 as a business teacher at the high school. In this capacity, he later developed the schoolto-career program. The STC program afforded students with an opportunity to gain work experience, and area businesses benefited from the entry-level help. “That was an incredible opportunity and the beginning of my understanding of the importance of building partnerships and a culture of trust and teamwork to accomplish great things for students. Now, in retirement I can continue to embrace partnerships for LaBella Associates and leverage my experiences in the educational system and more specifically, the importance of a well-managed long term capital project plan for a school district and the impact that will have on instructional excellence.” Through the years, Dan’s approach to this teamwork never changed. He continued to enjoy meeting people, making connections and building partnerships, regardless of what role he had with the district, from assistant principal to superintendent. “I have had a wonderful career in Spencerport, and believe that each of these experiences will help me with supporting the connections that LaBella Associates considers critical in the K-12 market.” Welcome, Dan!
In Session LaBella Associates |
Spring 2021
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COVID-19 Impacts
How to Pitch Your Event Tent to NYSED NYSED has established an expedited review process for districts looking to use temporary event tents for school ceremonies or events.
As state and local guidelines continue to evolve, school districts are managing how to host typical events on campus such as prom, graduation, and various ceremonies while adhering to the current COVID-19 guidelines. A seemingly simple solution to hosting such events is to rent large temporary event tents for an outdoor venue in order to space the occupants sufficiently. Although this rental and installation of the tents would seem simple and straightforward, there are several required steps that districts need to be aware of prior to putting stakes in the ground. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released several documents outlining the proper steps that must be followed in order for a district to use these temporary event spaces. NYSED is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) for all NYS public school districts as well as the permitting party for any type of project a district intends to do. For this reason, proper documentation is required to be submitted to NYSED for their review and approval to ensure that occupants will be safe in using outdoor tented spaces. The very first step a district will need to take is submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) form to NYSED for each facility in order to establish a building/project number with the State Education
Department (SED). Once this project number is established, the following documents are required: Site Plan Drawing: First, the district’s architect/engineer should assess the intended location of the tent installation in conformance with the NYSED Facilities Planning Manual guidelines and the current International Fire Code for clearances around the tent. This investigation must be documented in a scaled site plan drawing indicating the intended installation location, clearances from the tent to any adjacent structure, as well as indicating the maximum occupancy, egress routes, and travel distances. Request for Approval of Use of a Facility: Along with this stamped drawing, the district will be required to submit the NYSED’s Request for Approval of Use of a Facility (FPAU) form that indicates the type of facility to be utilized, as well as its intended use/activity, the maximum number of occupants, and any other documents that will be required for submission. This form shall be signed by the Superintendent of Schools and submitted with the package of required documentation. Along with a signed FP-AU form, the Superintendent will also be required to provide a certification letter of the approval of the temporary tent
lease agreement indicating that the intended use shall conform to all requirements and guidelines provided. SEQRA Resolution: The district’s Board of Education shall establish and approve a SEQR Resolution in relation to the installation and use of the intended temporary facility. The Resolution shall be conscious of the size and installation method of the tent, whether the tent perimeter will be open or will have fabric side panels, and the intended duration of installation and use. The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) shall review and approve the SEQR memo/ resolution in addition to the BOE establishing and approving the resolution. Once approved by the Board, the BOE meetings shall be signed and certified by the District Clerk and provided in the submission documents. Miscellaneous Documentation: Dependent upon the type of facility that is intended for use, the district may be required to submit documentation of certified fire resistant materials used in the tent and conformance to NFPA testing methods, asbestos free materials certification, as well as a local Fire Inspection Report of the facility following the installation. Once all of these documents have been compiled, the architect/ engineer of record or the district may submit the package directly to NYSED Facilities Planning via email for their expedited review and approval. The submission shall be clearly marked with “COVID-19 REOPENING” in order to ensure an expedited review of the project in lieu of entering the queue of standard capital projects that districts are accustomed to. This process and timeline should be closely monitored in order to ensure that approval is given from NYSED prior to the intended installation and event date.
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In Session LaBella Associates |
Spring 2021
Feature
Supporting Every Student How senior administrators at one BOCES delivered for career and technical education, special education, and adult learners in a year like no other. The past year has presented many new challenges to school districts throughout New York State. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many districts further into the public view, with ever-growing oversight and expectation. Schools have undoubtedly been shown to be much more than places of learning. In particular, they have displayed their responsibility for student health, safety, nutrition, and many other services in a much more apparent way. While these services have always been part of a school district’s responsibilities, the world-wide pandemic exposed the fragile and often under-funded aspects of a district’s many obligations. To gain some much-needed perspective on how the pandemic has been addressed, LaBella conducted an interview with the superintendent and senior administrators at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES (www.monroe2boces.org).
services, as well as continuing education and training for adults. This spectrum of services puts BOCES 2 in a unique position in terms of managing the effects of the pandemic; the requirements of each program differ greatly, and as such the requirements for maintaining student services in a safe, effective manner also differ. Our conversation with BOCES 2 was enlightening; it helped us further appreciate what school administrators, teachers and staff have been dealing with this past year. While the effects of the pandemic are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, one thing is for certain: school administrators want children back in the classroom.
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Michael Place, AIA – Architect, LaBella Associates
Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, often referred to locally as BOCES 2, offers a large variety of educational services that range from high school vocational programs to special education
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Kris Lepel – Marketing Coordinator, LaBella Associates
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Jo Anne Antonacci – District Superintendent, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES
Interview Attendees:
In Session LaBella Associates |
Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES programming varies greatly, offering career and technical education (CTE), special education services, adult learning, and support to component districts.
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Marijo Pearson – Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction & Professional Development
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Tim Dobbertin – Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Programs
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Steve Roland – Director of Finance
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Tom Burke – Director of Facilities
Michael: Thank you for joining us today for this discussion. So, let’s start with what is likely the most obvious question: What has been the most difficult part of the past year for you as a school district in response to the pandemic, specific to the services that BOCES 2 provides? Jo Anne: The biggest piece for us was accomplishing what we needed to do to get students back on campus, in person. There were a whole host of things that had to occur to make that happen. For BOCES 2, it was never an option to have kids not here in person. Even from the beginning
Career technology courses of study at BOCES include trades like carpentry and welding, service industry vocations like cosmetology and culinary arts, and health sciences like dentistry and nursing. All need hands-on instruction.
our individuals with disabilities and our career technology students needed to be at school, in person. So, in terms of our special-ed students, they’ve been with us all year, four days a week. In career tech we did start with a hybrid process, and since we’ve gone to four days a week. Michael: Right. Did you have downtime or a period of time that it took for you to prepare to bring students back? Or did you always have students there? Jo Anne: In terms of September 2020, we had the summer prior and prepared to bring students back. We had some kids on campus, but fewer over the summer. So we really took advantage of making sure that we did whatever we had to do. In the summer we focused on both the instructional component and O&M… O&M had the most stress because there were layers to the cleaning process that had never been done before that now had to be done. Michael: Understood. Tom, a little bit more on that, just from your perspective: obviously we’ve seen a lot of school districts dealing with an increase of cleaning and maintenance services and things like that. How has that affected your process? Tom: That’s a good one. First off we had to look at the CDC and New York
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State guidelines to see how we could utilize them within our site. But in the summer, when we came back, it was just a very short skeleton staff. We started slow because everybody was trying to understand the guidelines together; our whole job was working with the nursing department and the rest of the group staff to vet out products that we had to bring into the school…so we could do the disinfecting and cleaning. Along with that there was learning new cleaning and sanitizing techniques and learning what the CDC expected and how they wanted us to do it. So there was a large learning curve for us in the sense of disinfecting so that we were meeting what the CDC and the state recommended for staff and students. Tim: Another layer on top of all that, O&M had to work with the individual program sites to determine what level of cleaning was needed at each. So for example, some of our programs have AM and PM sessions similar to our main campus vocational programs (WEMOCO). So, Tom and his staff had to figure out how they were going to clean between cohorts. That took a lot of communication with each of the different programs to do that. Michael: Was that all on your department, Tom, or did you enlist the help of teachers or any staff to do some sanitation or cleaning on their own per classroom or anything like that? Tom: No, that was all handled internally through the O&M department. Our goal was to do a deep clean of the building. There’s a new normal. I hate to use that word, it is out there for everybody, but our cleaning process has changed. There is more of a touch point cleaning process, more of a detailed approach going in every classroom and actually hitting high and low points; there’s a whole new definition of what we need to attack each day. So that aspect
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In Session LaBella Associates |
Spring 2021
Supporting Every Student, continued from page 5 happened along with the fact that we do much more disinfecting as Tim alluded. To me that’s normal now, but after our changeover on cohorts, our entire day staff goes out and mists and disinfects all their classrooms. So we run through the entire school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Wednesday, our evening staff comes in and they do another full, deep clean. Along with that we’re going in between the cohorts and flushing the entire building air. We open up all the rooftop units and actually flush the entire school for that one hour time with a hundred percent outside air. Michael: From my end, there’s a good potential we’re going to see some permanent changes from the state education department in terms of recommendations for ventilation and/or sanitation. Tom: We also looked at ventilation as that was one of the larger components of the guidelines. We reviewed our mechanical equipment and units and installed MERV 13 rated filters to the greatest extent possible. So we were definitely meeting the CDC end of it, and it was all handled internally with O&M. We did utilize our vendors and contractors for information, trying to pull information from them and understanding what was necessary, what we could do. And we met with our ventilation experts just to make sure that we were on the right path with the air filtration. Michael: Right. And just to touch on it because it is a hot topic with many school districts…the ventilation aspect. Were you able to generally retrofit or meet the ventilation guidelines with the MERV ratings for mechanical unit filtration? Tom: Yes, we were. There were a couple of locations where we could only go up to a MERV 11, at some of our off site locations and our lease buildings; but, where we have the
majority of our students we are at the MERV 13 rating. Everything on the Big Ridge Road campus and everything that’s West View Commons is all MERV 13. Michael: If we could, I’d like to touch upon the teaching methods, how this whole process over the last year has affected your method of instruction. Do you see that continuing for the foreseeable future or even permanently? Are there things that you’re going to continue doing? Tim: So, as far as the instruction, it changed significantly in a lot of different ways. I think first and foremost, the old mindset was kids are in school and you’ve got to get them learning. While that’s still the case, there’s a whole other layer that our teachers have had to adjust to in terms of what really comes first now… making sure students are well and a focus on maintaining their health and safety. Most of our teachers had to deal with kids that were in the classroom in front of them and kids that were zooming in, all remote. And if they weren’t actually zooming in all the time, teachers had to plan and make sure that they had meaningful learning activities that were aligned with what the person/kids were doing as much as possible. It really created a tremendous amount of stress initially. It’s a much heavier workload for our teachers. And they rose up and they did it, but that’s been an ongoing challenge. And I expect that that’s going to be there for a while. Hopefully not to the degree that it was this year. Hopefully we’re going to have more families and parents that have their kids back at school in person. But I think that element is going to exist certainly through the next year. Joanne talked about this a little bit earlier, but when you have a program that is based on kids with very high, special education needs, you just
Professional development and training was a critical component to the BOCES 2 pandemic response. While most wasn’t conducted in person, flexible training spaces will remain important assets.
can’t do the same with kids online, as you can in person. And with the technical education students, you have students learning how to fix things like HVAC systems. You can simulate a lot of things online, but it’s not the same as coming in and actually doing it and having a teacher or a peer by your side, working it through with you. Michael: That’s certainly one of the things that stands out to me…the unique type of teaching that goes on at BOCES 2. The vocational aspect of it is very hands-on and you have to be there to really do the work in person. What about other types of instruction?
In Session LaBella Associates |
Jo Anne: Marijo, why don’t you talk a little bit about the fact that a student’s day looks very different. Not just in the instruction piece, but Marijo’s department of professional development has been tasked from the standpoint of training areas that we typically haven’t had to focus on before. Marijo: During the emergency closure last year, we did the best to figure it out, just like every other district. So we had materials that were sent home. We had devices that were picked up. We had both online materials and hard copies of things, which was a big lift for teachers. So the team here at BOCES worked really hard, we did a lot of initial planning. And then into the summer, we continued that planning, but that’s where our department did a lot of training as well. During the emergency closure last spring we had some on-the-fly trainings with teachers so they knew what platforms to use, how best to instruct students remotely. We developed some tools for engagement strategies online. What began to happen though was kids were logging in and not really producing a lot of work.
we embarked with our instructional programs to teach our teachers how to instruct in a remote learning setting. We had tons of professional development classes throughout the summer, really helping our staff learn how to teach in a hybrid setting. Teachers have to engage students differently online then they would in person.
So, we embarked with our instructional programs to teach our teachers how to instruct in a remote learning setting. We had tons of professional development classes throughout the summer, really helping our staff learn how to teach in a hybrid setting. Teachers have to engage students differently online then they would in person. So we did a lot of training on that just to prepare for the reopening where kids were coming back. For our staff teachers, as well as instructional specialists, this year has been like no other; they’ve worked 150%. Everything that they’ve learned, that they did prior was flipped upside down. But, we’ve developed a lot of great bestpractices during this new time. Hybrid teaching, including the teaching of adults, really has been propelled
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light years ahead as a result of the pandemic. Michael: I think it’s a really good point that you’re making about being forced forward in this way…in a direction maybe you were going anyway, but the pandemic has certainly expedited that process for you. Marijo: Yes, even the use of physical space is different. So we still have the same spaces, but now we’re using them more innovatively. So that’s really interesting. Tim: Not only did her staff provide the professional development to our teachers to teach in a remote environment, her staff also had to figure out how to provide that training in a remote environment itself; they couldn’t go and do those demonstrations in person. Her staff had to figure out how to deliver the professional development classes remotely. And it was extraordinary what they did. Michael: That’s a very good point. So, I have another question here that kind of switches gears a little bit…obviously everyone’s incurred financial expenses as part of this. I’m curious how the pandemic affected BOCES 2 financially, and what you are doing about it? Steve: As far as grants, we have applied for FEMA. We haven’t heard yet whether or not we’re going to get any of those funds, but we certainly have put money in for that. A lot of the grants go to our component districts, so we don’t share that directly. We did go out with a PPE bid to help the districts. We did that late spring, early summer last year, so that they wouldn’t have to go out and individually bid it; this helped them focus on getting ready for the September start of school. You know, in some ways the budget didn’t have some expenses that it ordinarily would. Travel and expenses for training conferences, for example,
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In Session LaBella Associates |
Spring 2021
Supporting Every Student, continued from page 7 kind of dried up. There wasn’t as much reimbursable mileage and similar reimbursable expenses; but, then on the flip side, the costs for cleaning products, personal protective equipment (PPE) and furniture increased tremendously. Michael: That’s not a unique problem to BOCES 2 at all. Every district we’re talking to is dealing with the same thing. So, we touched upon this a little bit. And Marijo, you mentioned specifically being thrust forward with some of your processes, but as BOCES 2 moves forward after this…let’s look a year or two down the road…are there aspects of the programs that will definitely change, that will maintain a different direction? Or do you anticipate a full return to normalcy? Marijo: I’d say from my perspective, I think that we’re going to continue offerings in a hybrid model, especially for our professional development services. So we won’t just say “you have to come to BOCES 2 to attend the session.” We will always have in person options, but an exciting part of the future is the use of asynchronous courses, those ones that are completely online, that people can access whenever they have time on the weekend, at night. So, I see both of those pieces, the online presence and a hybrid model for professional development will continue. And I think that as a result, we’re going to get more people or teachers who are able to attend by doing that. Kris: Do you think that you will design spaces differently going forward, if you have a project say a year or two down the road? Tim: You know what, the one thing that pops to my mind as you were saying that is, I think that I’m going to be much more tuned-in to where
we put our nursing offices and how they’re configured towards the outside, having isolation rooms, etc. Should we be in this position again, you know, in some of our program buildings that worked out pretty nicely and others it didn’t. So, I think that’s something that would be in the back of my mind. Michael: Tim, just to push that a little bit further, this is something that the whole world has gone through and it’s unique. To what degree is it smart to anticipate something like this happening again in terms of design planning? There could be a lot of changes you could design for in anticipation of something like this happening again down the road. Tim: So, my answer is that I think we have to bear in mind this experience. I don’t think you’re going to do things drastically different though…as in “we have to design this in case we’re in a pandemic again, a hundred percent.” But I think you have to keep it in mind and look at the things that we can do that aren’t going to affect the goals of the rest of the project…like the nursing office I mentioned before. Michael: Marijo, you mentioned designing more open-ended spaces. I imagine that means more flexibility within how you use spaces? Marijo: Yes. You know, keeping spaces a little more open…so you can have flexible seating for social distancing. In the past, we’d have a lot of small office areas and things like that. So thinking about that space differently would be important. Michael: I wanted to ask a question about public perception…anyone that’s been dealing with the general public. We’ve heard lots of parents voicing different opinions…some really good, some really bad, and everything in between. I’m just curious what the public perception or the public interaction has been with BOCES 2 through all of this. And do you have any comment about that?
Jo Anne: When we talk about public interaction for us, it’s really our users or parents of users. We’ve been fortunate because we’ve had students in school, from the beginning of the school year, four days a week, and I think that has been positive. There have been times when parents obviously have brought concerns to us and we’ve been quick to respond, trying to give them information they are looking for. You know, one of the things that all districts are facing, including the BOCES, is information in the news. And that information sometimes is a little different than what the superintendent has given to the communities. And it’s just trying to explain to them what our scenario is. And so we’ve been trying to work with them on that. We’ve had meetings that we’ve included parent representatives in…in order to make sure that we’ve got a pulse on the parent perspective in terms of how they feel. And that’s very, very important. Tim: I literally just had a conversation with a parent yesterday trying to explain why we didn’t bring kids back five days. And while we ended not agreeing, she respected the fact that I explained the logic of it and that there were reasons. I always want people to know that we’re doing things for good reasons, even if we can’t agree on them, that it’s not an arbitrary decision. Michael: So my last formal question really has to do with your goals for the next coming year. You’re ending a school year very soon, but then you’re going to get back into it all again next year. What are your goals for the coming school year? Jo Anne: Getting kids in school, one hundred percent. Tim: …and what more has to be done to make that happen. That is the goal. We’ve been articulating that to everybody.
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Community
Dansville CSD Breaks Ground
RIT is a leader in cybersecurity education and research, and is positioned to tackle the cybersecurity challenges facing our society.
Innovation Dansville Central Schools recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new physical education and athletics complex at its main campus in Dansville, NY. The design includes a new multi-purpose turf field, new running track, new tennis courts, grandstands, and press box. The project is part of the district’s 2019 Capital Improvement Project. Completion is scheduled for late summer 2022. We are proud to be a partner of Dansville CSD and look forward to the successful completion of this project!
Michael: Have you heard similar plans or expectations from other districts where their intent is to get the students back in the classroom? Jo Anne: Yes. Superintendents are working together now, all across our whole region to do that. And that is their number one priority. I can’t tell you today what that’s going to look like. It is a huge task. We’re starting it right now. We’re not waiting for the summer. We’ve already started our conversations in our meetings right now…children need to be at school. Marijo: Our goal is your goal, Jo Anne, collectively the goal really is
RIT’s Global Cybersecurity Institute is Award-Winning RIT’s Global Cybersecurity Institute, designed by LaBella, will lead the charge in the education and research in the cybersecurity field. Situated centrally on the western side of campus, this building transformed a “back of house” campus void into a new gateway to the world of cybersecurity. At three stories and over 50,000 square feet, this Global Cybersecurity Institute is home to classrooms, instructional and research labs, simulation and training rooms, student collaboration and community spaces, and offices. This new facility will have a major role in facilitating special events while providing a showcase to visitors of the institute’s research and technology. As a testament to its innovative and unique design features, LaBella was honored to be the recipient of the 2021 AIA NYS Excelsior Merit Award, New Construction and the 2021 AIA Rochester People’s Choice Award.
to get students back in classrooms a hundred percent of the time. Michael: And to close our conversation, I just want to ask if anyone wants to share something they learned this year? Jo Anne: I’ve learned patience. At first if you don’t succeed, you try try again. And we’ve had a lot of that all year long. Marijo: The same as you Jo Anne… patience. Tim: I’ve learned I have to stay in the day and deal with what’s in front of me. A lot of what’s in front of me is
planning for the future, but I think I’ve had to loosen my expectations about what the day-to-day was going to be. I think that’s been a positive for me. Steve: I would say personally and professionally, identifying what’s really important, and prioritizing it. Tom: I’ve learned to expect the unexpected and deal with it when it happens. A sincere thank you to the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES administrators for sharing their perspectives with our readers.
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In Session LaBella Associates |
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Facility Considerations
Illuminate with Impunity LED light fixtures have evolved to become the first choice of designers, end-users, facilities staff, and energy codes. Today’s fixtures reduce costs and achieve better student outcomes. As LED fixtures have become the industry standard in almost all applications of general lighting, it wasn’t that long ago that fluorescent tubes were the go-to source for lighting in K-12 schools. In both new construction and renovation work, LED fixtures are now preferred for myriad reasons. LED lighting faced many challenges early on. The color temperature was inconsistent between fixtures, with too-blue or too-pink hues common. As manufacturers rushed to enter the LED market, early fixtures were simply fluorescent fixtures that were retrofitted for LEDs. There were few, if any, industry standards, so it was next to impossible to compare fixtures and evaluate equals. Thankfully, technology and industry standards have improved greatly in the last 10-15 years, and resulted in fixtures perfectly suited to the K-12 environment. LEDs came to market with the promise of unparalleled energy efficiency, and delivered. Since then, the focus on improved usability and function has created customization features that directly impact the learning environment. LED troffers offer a variety of post-installation adjustments, for characteristics like color temperature (warmer/ cooler) or brightness (lumen output). Features such as Dynamic White Lighting can have the lights dim to warm, simulating incandescent light, or can be programmed to change the color temperature to simulate daylight. Why is color temperature so important? Studies have revealed the importance of circadian rhythms in teenage students, meaning the ability to create “daylight” in classrooms can improve learning outcomes. Other studies have revealed that cooler color temperatures may help students with hyperactivity. Controls have become a major focus of both designers and of energy codes. Fixtures can be fitted with drivers that can communicate wirelessly with a room control panel. The same panel can be integrated with the room dimmer switch, occupancy/vacancy sensors, and daylight sensors in a classroom to maximize energy savings. Easy
LED fixtures offer out-of-box adjustability for both color temperature and brightness, delighting designers with flexibility and end users with efficiency.
to use, advanced controls allow educators to customize their classroom lighting to better support their instruction and provide a truly flexible classroom setup. Giving instructors better lighting control also makes for more inclusive classrooms for students with sensory issues, and reduces eye strain for all. In large facilities like K-12 schools, LEDs long life span greatly reduces maintenance costs. Facilities teams no longer have to replace bulbs in hard to reach fixtures, such as in auditoriums and gymnasiums, and reduce storage needs for replacement lamps. High abuse environments benefit from the durability of LED fixtures, retiring the risk of fluorescent lamps shattering. All of these features come at a reasonable price tag; some manufacturers are estimating the payback period for most educational facilities can be as little as one to three years. When it comes to size, style, and shape, LED fixtures are also unmatched, allowing your design team to create spaces that inspire.
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Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions: Ventilation Basics & COVID Impacts Ventilation and filtration questions are still common as many districts evaluate short and long term solutions. What is Ventilation? Per the New York State Mechanical Code (NYSMC), Ventilation is defined as “the natural or mechanical process of supplying conditioned or unconditioned air to, or removing such air from, any space.” Ventilation air is the portion of supply air that comes from the outside (outdoors), plus any recirculated air that has been treated (filtered) to maintain the desired quality of air within a designated space.
calculation is much more complex. Mechanical engineers are skilled at assessing code compliance and performing the necessary calculations.
How buildings are typically ventilated: Ventilation can either be provided by mechanical means (fan, ductwork, grilles, etc) or by natural means (open windows, doors, nonpowered roof ventilators, etc). The mechanical code recognizes and prescribes methods for designing both mechanical and natural ventilation systems; however, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires mechanical ventilation systems within all occupied areas of school buildings.
Both state health and education departments have recommended ventilation rates be increased above code-required levels as much as possible. The CDC has published data indicating proper ventilation or increased ventilation within a space greatly reduces or dilutes the viral load and therefore transmission rate of the Sars-COV-2 virus. Natural ventilation systems (doors and windows) can be used if present. To increase ventilation mechanically, we must adjust outdoor air intake damper minimum positions within the HVAC air handling system equipment. A mechanical engineer should be consulted prior to adjusting existing HVAC systems, as any adjustments could adversely affect system performance and decrease occupant comfort to unreasonable levels.
How are ventilation rates determined? Ventilation rates are determined by code. In simple terms, ventilation rates for single zone spaces are calculated based on the number of people occupying a space combined with an area component of the same zone. Airflow per person and airflow per square foot vary for each space type. There are other factors, such as air distribution effectiveness and ventilation efficiency, that the code prescribes and ultimately affect the final design code minimum ventilation rate. Multiple spaces can be ventilated by the same system, and therefore the ventilation rate
What about filtration? HVAC systems are required to have air filtration. Typically this is provided via a simple filter within the air stream to protect system heating/cooling coils and keep duct systems generally clean from dust and debris. Filters are rated with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value commonly known as the filter’s MERV rating. The higher the MERV rating, the better a filter performs. MERV ratings range from 1 to 16 with most existing school HVAC systems historically incorporating MERV 8 filters. MERV-13 is the recommended MERV rating by ASHRAE and the CDC as it is 85% effective at capturing the
particle size of human respiratory droplets which carry the Sars-COV-2 virus. Replacing existing filters with higher rated MERV filters can therefore help reduce transmission of viruses like Sars-COV-2, but may also reduce airflow, increase fan energy, increase filter cost, and increase the filter replacement rate. Reducing the airflow of an existing unit could also inadvertently reduce the ventilation rate of the unit if it is not recalibrated accordingly. As such, any proposed filter upgrade should be analyzed by a professional. LaBella can help analyze existing HVAC systems to determine if the systems have enough spare capacity to warrant a filter upgrade, discuss the pros and cons for doing so, or suggest other filtration systems such as in space air cleaners and HEPA filtration. What about UV lighting or other similar air cleaning technologies? Currently, NYSED does not allow UV lighting in any areas where occupants may be exposed to the UV light source due to the known risk of damage to eyes and skin. The only areas UV lighting can be deployed is within central system air handling equipment. These systems should be evaluated by a mechanical engineer or UV lighting vendor for applicability. Any new air cleaning technology utilizing Bipolar Ionization (BPI), or any other technology that can generate ozone or VOCs, is not recommended by NYSED or the NYDOH at this time. Not sure where to start? Give us a call. School districts should first and foremost ensure that existing HVAC systems are well maintained and operating as originally designed. This includes ensuring that outdoor air ventilation rates are being maintained throughout occupied time periods. Districts can then work with LaBella to determine if making any system adjustments or filtration upgrades is feasible. If these upgrades are not feasible given existing equipment or control systems, than other methods of air cleaning or ventilating can be explored.
Syracuse CSD The Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School in Syracuse, NY had gone over a decade without an outdoor athletic facility to host home games for their football, lacrosse, and soccer teams, as well as track and field events. With numerous site constraints and design challenges, this facility utilized unique design and construction techniques that have made it like no other facility built. Stay tuned for more information in our next issue.
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