Welcome to the DSA Academy Website

As part of its Strategic Plan, the California Division of the State Architect (DSA) is producing this video series to lead to the improved performance of our state’s K-12 schools. The series is being developed in cooperation with the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). Never before has the need to build resource-efficient, healthy, daylit schools been more important, as local communities embark to construct or renovate tens of billions of dollars worth of K-12 educational facilities over the next 10 to 15 years. In response, this video tutorial series was produced to educate and motivate school decision makers, facilities staff, designers, and others to fund, design, and build high performing schools.

Proper siting of a school will enhance its aesthetic value, decrease its environmental impact, and improve energy performance for the entire life of the structure. Considering factors such as public transportation and on-site facilities will also make the building more attractive to its students, faculty, and community.

Also see video segments on Daylighting and Water Resources.

Energy-efficient schools save money while conserving non-renewable energy resources and reducing atmospheric emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. The energy performance of schools can be improved through the use of energy efficiency (in the design, specification, and installation of lighting/daylighting, HVAC, water heating, appliances, computer equipment, and building envelope components), alternative energy sources (e.g., renewable energy), and building commissioning and staff training. The application of these devices will lead to the reduction in space and water heating, cooling, lighting, and other loads in schools and the downsizing of associated equipment. Reduced loads can lead to lower energy bills and reduced capital costs.

Also see video segments on School Siting, Daylighting, and Building Performance and Measurement modules.

Daylighting is becoming more popular and commonly incorporated into many building designs, including those of schools. Recent research has shown that children achieve significantly higher test scores in classrooms that are daylit than in those that are not, making daylighting one of the best investments for the learning environment. However, not all schools with windows can be considered daylit! In the past, careful daylighting designs were required for all schools in California. At one time, California had some of the best daylit schools in the country. Designers need to re-learn the basic principles of daylight design, and combine this understanding with new information about high performance materials and automatic controls to achieve optimum lighting quality and energy performance in new schools. Also see video segments in the School Siting and Energy Performance modules.

Water use is a growing issue in California, as expanding populations increase the demand for limited supplies of water. Many options exist to minimize the use of water by schools, both indoors and outdoors. Some of these water-saving measures include using drought-tolerant vegetation, water catchment systems, low-flow irrigation systems and gray water systems, ground moisture sensors, and water-saving faucets, urinals, and showers. Also see video segments in the School Siting module.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) encompasses a range of issues affecting occupant comfort and health: temperature and humidity, fresh air and drafts, acoustic levels and quality, lighting levels and quality, moisture/mold control, chemical outgassing by materials and general indoor air quality (IAQ), and more. Many common indoor building and surface materials contain a variety potentially hazardous and/or irritating chemicals. When released into the air, these chemicals can cause health problems, especially in children. Acceptable indoor air quality, noise, temperature, humidity, and light all play critical roles in the success of the learning environment.

High performance schools are healthy, efficient, environmentally sensitive structures whose performance can be significantly affected if the building has not been designed following the district’s intent or constructed according to the designers’ specifications. Ensuring optimum performance of the systems in a building can help reduce wasted energy and health and safety hazards. Building commissioning is a process that will help determine whether systems are functioning properly and identify components that need to be corrected.

Also see video segments in the Energy Performance module.