Kohala High School STEM/Science Facility

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Project Size:

11,480 SF

Awards:

HI-CHPS Verified (Registered)

Photography:

Andrea Brizzi

The new Kohala High School STEM/Science facility is the first public school STEM/Science project designed to achieve Hawaii-Collaborative High-Performance Schools (HI-CHPS) Verified certification. Schools that meet HI-CHPS criteria are defined as high-performance learning environments that are healthy, comfortable, conserve energy, water and resources, and which are safe, adaptable and easy to operate and maintain.

The project consists of one general classroom building, one Physical Science classroom building, one Biochemistry classroom building, and one Natural Resources classroom building. The structures are sited to take advantage of prevailing winds and are organized along a covered walkway which also provides access to an entry plaza, outdoor learning lanai, and learning gardens.

Project highlights include:

Utilization of a strong community-based design process.
Building design and orientation to suit cross ventilation, stack ventilation, indirect daylighting, and effective shading.
Computer modeling to confirm ventilation, daylighting, shading and thermal comfort effectiveness.
Effective design for mixed mode ventilation on a seasonal basis to maintain occupant comfort in either mode (natural or air-conditioning) while conserving energy costs.