Maximizing facility performance and students’ potential is at the heart of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) High Performance K-12 School Facilities conference, to be held March 1 and 2 in Atlanta. The conference will present an integrated approach to complying with codes and standards while achieving a cost-effective, high-performance solution to K-12 facility design, construction, and operation. Its goal is to bring together administrators, design professionals, policy makers, and other stakeholders to learn ways to improve these facilities on operational, fiscal, engineering, and administrative levels.
“Sixteen percent of schools districts’ controllable costs are spent on energy,” Ben Leppard, a member of the conference steering committee and track chair, said. “By focusing on energy efficiency and high-performance goals, a school’s energy bills can be lowered, saving millions of dollars each year, which can be redirected into facilities, teachers’ salaries, computers, and textbooks.”
Experts in the fields of acoustics, lighting, ventilation, system controls, energy efficiency, and operation and maintenance will lead the stakeholders through the complex integration of systems, policies, and legislation on a straightforward path to achieving high-performance new and existing K-12 facilities and higher performing students.
“Improved indoor-air quality, acoustically designed indoor environments, and high-performance lighting systems have the potential to increase student productivity,” Leppard said.
Attendees of the conference may attend sessions that focus on three areas of high-performance school facilities: ventilation systems, building-systems control, and acoustics. Advance conference registration is $450 ($350 member price) and $500 on site ($400 member price).