Perkins Eastman recently announced the publication of white paper “Measuring Up: Using Pre- and Post-Occupancy Evaluation to Assess High-Performance School Design.”
“Measuring Up” documents a design research study conducted by Perkins Eastman that used the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School, located in Cambridge, MA, as a test case. The study showed that the high-performance design strategies employed in the design of the MLK School had a significant and measurable impact on both occupant satisfaction and building performance. These findings tie high-performance design strategies to improved building performance and increased satisfaction, bringing the theoretical value-add proposition for high-performance design into reality.
The overarching goal of the school’s design was to synthesize objectives to enhance educational outcomes within this urban district and to pursue attributes of Net Zero Energy. Together, these goals inspired a sustainable, high-performance urban learning environment that can serve as a prototype for the school district and potentially nationwide. These same lessons also add to the design industry’s understanding of high-performance design.
The white paper is co-authored by a group at Perkins Eastman representing broad research, sustainability, and K-12 school design. Sean O’Donnell, leader of Perkins Eastman’s K-12 practice, says, “By evaluating and analyzing our work, we are able to make smarter decisions moving forward to enhance educational outcomes, improve our communities, and reduce our environmental impact—and to do so in the most economical means possible.” He continues, “This feedback loop moves us closer to creating truly sustainable, high-performance learning environments for our clients and communities.”
Perkins Eastman’s study is distinguished from other academic studies investigating Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in schools in that it was designed to examine multiple, concurrent factors—producing a more holistic picture than single variables studied in isolation can provide. In Perkins Eastman’s study, satisfaction levels increased between 53-66% in every measure, indicating meaningful improvement. These measures included: daylight, thermal comfort, acoustics, and air quality.
By showing that even minor improvements in building performance using high-performance design strategies can significantly impact occupant satisfaction and performance, this case study becomes applicable to any industry where occupant performance is significant— especially in educational, office, and healthcare environments.
“Measuring Up” is available for download here.
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Feb 29, 2024
Average age of U.S. school buildings is just under 50 years
The average age of a main instructional school building in the United States is 49 years, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). About 38% of schools were built before 1970. Roughly half of the schools surveyed have undergone a major building renovation or addition.
Construction Costs | Feb 22, 2024
K-12 school construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for four different types of K-12 school buildings (elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and vocational schools) across 10 U.S. cities.
K-12 Schools | Feb 13, 2024
K-12 school design trends for 2024: health, wellness, net zero energy
K-12 school sector experts are seeing “healthiness” for schools expand beyond air quality or the ease of cleaning interior surfaces. In this post-Covid era, “healthy” and “wellness” are intersecting expectations that, for many school districts, encompass the physical and mental wellbeing of students and teachers, greater access to outdoor spaces for play and learning, and the school’s connection to its community as a hub and resource.
K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2024
Video: Research-based design for K-12 schools
Two experts from national architecture firm PBK discuss how behavioral research is benefiting the design of K-12 schools in Texas, Florida, and other states. Dan Boggio, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, Founder & Executive Chair, PBK, and Melissa Turnbaugh, AIA, NCARB, Partner & National Education & Innovation Leader, PBK, speak with Robert Cassidy, Executive Editor, Building Design+Construction.
K-12 Schools | Jan 8, 2024
Video: Learn how DLR Group converted two big-box stores into an early education center
Learn how the North Kansas City (Mo.) School District and DLR Group adapted two big-box stores into a 115,000-sf early education center offering services for children with special needs.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Education Facilities | Nov 9, 2023
Oakland schools’ central kitchen cooks up lessons along with 30,000 meals daily
CAW Architects recently completed a facility for the Oakland, Calif., school district that feeds students and teaches them how to grow, harvest, and cook produce grown onsite. The production kitchen at the Unified School District Central Kitchen, Instructional Farm, and Education Center, (“The Center”) prepares and distributes about 30,000 meals a day for district schools lacking their own kitchens.
Products and Materials | Oct 31, 2023
Top building products for October 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from structural round timber to air handling units.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 170 K-12 School Architecture Firms for 2023
PBK Architects, Huckabee, DLR Group, VLK Architects, and Stantec top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 100 K-12 School Construction Firms for 2023
CORE Construction, Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Skanska USA, and Adolfson & Peterson top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
