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Silicon Valley School Integrates Sustainable Modular Classrooms

SAN MARTIN, Calif. — San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School in San Martin, located in California’s Silicon Valley and part of the Morgan Hill Unified School District, recently installed the nation’s first and only prefabricated classroom to be pre-verified by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). School leaders collaborated with American Modular Systems (AMS) of Manteca, Calif., which installed the school’s first Gen7 CHPS PreFAB classrooms on May 13.

"We’re excited to have Morgan Hill as the pilot project for the CHPS PreFAB program," said Tony Sarich, vice president of operations for AMS and Gen7 Schools, in a statement. "Gen7 CHPS PreFAB streamlines production and delivery, reducing the time, costs and paperwork involved in purchasing healthy, high-performance classrooms.”

Sarich added that the cost-effective modular classrooms can also provide better learning environments for students and substantially decrease a school’s environmental impact.

Designed to be a turnkey sustainable solution for schools, Gen7 CHPS PreFAB modular classrooms have been pre-approved by California’s Division of the State Architect (DSA) and have successfully completed a stringent third-party review to ensure they perform to the highest CHPS specifications, according to a statement by AMS. Qualifying classrooms meet rigorous CHPS criteria for indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials, waste management, resource conservation and other sustainable prerequisites. The Gen7 classrooms are also engineered to exceed the 2013 California Title 24 Energy Standards by 40 percent to 70 percent in all climate zones, which can significantly lower a school’s operating costs.

The Morgan Hill CHPS project features two Gen7 modular classroom buildings, designed to accommodate increased enrollment in San Martin/Gwinn’s Dual-Immersion Multicultural Education (DIME) program, which has been extended to include middle school as well as K-6 students. The Gen7 buildings were constructed in the AMS factory in Manteca and will open to students in August.

"We’re delighted to be the first Gen7 CHPS PreFAB classrooms to market and hope that Morgan Hill will inspire other school districts to pursue high-performance classrooms as part of their modernization and expansion programs," said Casino Fajardo, director of construction for Morgan Hill Unified School District, in a statement. "Gen7 PreFABs make it easy and affordable for schools to achieve their sustainability goals, while helping students learn and thrive in a healthier, more environmentally responsible environment."

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Manteca’s New Environmental Studies Center Earns LEED Gold

MANTECA, Calif. — The Gen7 Regional Environmental Studies Center (RESC) in the Manteca Unified School District (MUSD) was recently awarded LEED Gold certification for its modular, zero net energy design. The school district partnered with locally based American Modular Systems to build the center, which is now the first K-12 supporting facility in California’s Central Valley to earn LEED Gold.
“We wanted to raise the bar by creating a multi-use learning center that is both energy independent and environmentally responsible, providing a model for future learning spaces within our district and demonstrating our commitment to best-in-class environments that benefit our community, staff and students,” said Jason Messer, MUSD Superintendent, in a statement.
The RESC offers Industrial Technology and Design coursework to high school juniors and seniors enrolled in the Manteca Unified Vocational Academy (MUVA), as well as community education programs that teach the public about green building techniques and technology, sustainable home improvement, gardening, energy and water conservation, air quality and innovation — all of which are reflected in the building’s design and performance.
The facility was constructed from renewable and recycled materials and features a 150-year-old reclaimed barn wood exterior, reported the USGBC’s Northern California Chapter Green Schools Committee. The zero net energy design combines high-efficiency systems with a 10kW roof-mounted PV system to generate more energy than is required to power the building over the course of the school year.
Everything from the solar array to individual receptacle loads are connected via the Gen7 web-based energy monitoring system, which tracks the building’s energy consumption on a very precise level and manages it in real-time to help achieve optimal performance. A real-time energy dashboard also allows students and visitors to monitor energy production and consumption through interactive, wall-mounted iPads. Since the center’s opening in September 2013, it has reduced peak power demand by more than 50 percent and produced more energy than it requires to operate.
Because the RESC was a prefabricated building, it was built 60 percent faster for 30 percent less than a conventional building. Achieving LEED Gold certification cost less than 1 percent in construction costs, which will payback five-fold in operational savings over the building’s lifespan.
Aaron Bowers, construction/energy technician for the school district, said he believes the center’s smart design will be a teaching tool that will help the Central Valley community become more aware of green building. Custom signs and cutaways are located throughout the facility, educating visitors on the latest green technologies, such as daylight harvesting, solar power and water reclamation, as well as sustainable materials like FSC-certified woods and recycled denim insulation.
“The Manteca RESC was designed with a clear mission: to bridge the gap between awareness and action,” Bowers said in a statement. “We’re providing a healthy environment for learning, while promoting renewable, clean energy as a sustainable solution for the future.”

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First Net Zero Energy Classroom in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Manteca, Calif.-based American Modular Systems have recently designed four new Gen7 high-performance, prefabricated classrooms at Brentwood School in Los Angeles.

The new wing of the school, called the Academic Village is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and is a net zero energy building — generating enough power to fulfill 100 percent of its yearly energy requirements.

“We’ve been in our new Gen7 classrooms a few months, and we’ve been saving energy from the very first day,” said Mike Riera, Brentwood School’s Head of School. “Our students are excited to not just learn, but to see and experience what a difference they can make. Gen7 empowers them to do more.”

Since April the Gen7 solar system produced 6.94 MWH of energy, enough to power 229 homes for a day. It offset 4.8 tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of planting 123 trees. Over the course of the year, the Brentwood Gen7s are expected to reduce energy usage by 70 percent, while significantly lowering the school’s environmental footprint.
The environmental benefits are impressive but the students at Brentwood will also experience the benefits of learning within the Gen7 classroom.

“The Academic Village provides exactly the type of learning environment that inspires me to create new, engaging lessons for my students,” said Todd Ballaban, Middle Division Teacher.

The classrooms feature skylights along with new technology that allow students to interact virtually. The classrooms include big screen Smartboards that incorporate media into the students’ daily lessons as well as the “green button” that allows them to control the comfort level in the classroom.

“When pressed, the green button stimulates the active flow of natural air into the classroom, one of the incredible designs of the room,” said Ballaban. “Combined with the skylights, this natural airflow can keep students more awake and responsive in class. It’s closer to a fantasy world than any of us would have dreamed.”

The installation of the classrooms took American Modular Systems only 30 days to install. The company has also installed Gen7 classrooms in schools across the country and has received recognition for energy efficiency and sustainability achievements including the (California) Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for Gen7 Schools.

Award recipients for the GEELA are chosen in 12 different categories based on their strength in eight specific areas including results, transferability, environmental impact, resource conservation, economic progress, innovation and uniqueness, pollution prevention, and environmental justice. Gen7 was one of only 16 winners at the event.

“American Modular Systems is a true leader,” said Secretary for Environmental Protection Matt Rodriquez. “They prove that you can support and promote environmental values without sacrificing your business objectives. They understand that going green can be a successful economic strategy that can also lead to sustainable growth and development.”

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