Green schools present an economical solu

tion 

to rising energy prices by reducing energy 

consumption. Whitman-Hanson is a new 234,500-

ft2 high school that highlights the benefits of green 

building design. Not only do the school’s green 

building features save on the cost of utilities, 

they serve to provide a healthy and safe learning 

atmosphere that is essential for students. 

Green features such as daylighting, a wellinsulated building envelope, energy-efficient 

mechanical systems, a white roof, and energyefficient appli

ances significantly reduce energy 

consumption. A 51-kW solar electric system 

installed on the school’s roof will supply approximately 5% of the building’s annual energy use. 

Other green features include a 20,000-gallon 

underground tank that collects rainwater from 

the roof for use in flushing toilets and urinals. 

In addition, many site features such as existing 

paved surfaces and existing athletic fields were 

incorporated into the final design to minimize 

the impact of the new building.

The school’s design takes advantage of natural 

light, which reduces the need for traditional 

electric lighting. The library, a two-story lecture 

hall, the classrooms, a performing arts center, 

and a double gymnasium all use natural light and 

daylight sensors to improve energy savings. Large 

skylights and daylight harvesting controls in the 

cafeteria are also used to reduce energy 

consumption.

The school uses the money it is saving on 

energy to purchase high-tech (state of the art) 

educational aids. Examples of items include builtin facilitator stations, interactive white boards, 

and LCD projectors for all classrooms. Other 

teaching aids such as a distance learning center, 

cyber cafes, instruction kiosks, and smart conference rooms with plasma screens also contribute 

to student learning.

The school is a pilot project for the Massachusetts

Green Schools Initiative, a partnership between 

the Massachusetts School Building Authority and 

the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 

Through technical assistance and financial incentives offered under the Green Schools Initiative, 

the towns of Whitman and Hanson built an affordable school that conserves energy while enhancing the teaching and learning environment.

Green features such as natural light (shown in library 

at right) help to offset electrical lighting loads at the 

school. Features such as these are predicted to save 

39% in energy costs beyond code. Predicted avoided 

energy costs are $100,000 per year.

H i g h l i g h t i n g

high performance

Whitman-Hanson

Regional High School

Whitman, Massachusetts
Solar and Wind Power

A 49.5-kW solar electric system mounted on the roof provides 

supplemental electricity for the school during peak hours. A data 

acquisition system captures data from the system. The information 

is displayed on classroom computers.

photovoltaic panels

on gymnasium roof skylights over

cafeteria

library

drought resistant

landscaping

courtyard brings

daylight into all floors

greenhouse

skylights

20,000 gal. underground greywater tank

(behind building)

Whitman-Hanson 

High-Performance Building Features

Energy-Efficient Envelope

The building envelope is well insulated, with R-10 continuous insulation 

on the outside face of the exterior wall sheathing (in addition to the wall 

cavity insulation). The floors are insulated with under slab insulation, 

helping to reduce energy loss; a floor vapor barrier prevents moisture 

penetration into the building. The windows are highly insulated and 

low-e coated to reduce heat loss. Large skylights and daylight harvesting 

controls are used in the cafeteria to bring natural light into the building 

and to cut down on 

electricity costs.

East

December

21

South

Solar

windows

West

North Photovoltaic

modules

June 21

Sun’s Path in the Sky

Solar Power

A 51-kW solar electric array mounted on the roof provides supplemental 

electricity for the school during peak demand hours. The solar array also 

serves as a learning opportunity and has been incorporated into cross 

disciplinary curriculum. A data acquisition system captures energy 

production data from the solar electric system and displays the 

information on classroom computers for students and teachers. 

Energy-Efficient Lighting

High-efficiency fluorescent fixtures, including pendant-mounted, direct–

indirect lighting fixtures, are used throughout the building. The average 

lighting power density of the entire building is 1.15 W/ft2, which is 23% 

more efficient than the applicable code at the time the building was 

constructed. Daylighting and daylight sensors are used in each classroom 

and in the gymnasium to reduce energy use from electrical lighting by 

dimming the lights when enough daylight is present. Windows are 

designed to allow natural light to penetrate further into building spaces.

Water Conservation

A 20,000-gallon underground greywater storage tank collects rainwater 

runoff from the roof and reuses it to flush toilets and urinals in the school. 

Low flow toilets and sinks with automatic controls also help reduce water 

use. Native plants that are tolerant of most Northeast weather patterns 

were selected to eliminate the need for landscape irrigation. These 

efficient features will provide the school 38% savings on water use 

compared to a code compliant school.

Heating and Cooling

The HVAC system is a “reactionary” system that senses the level of 

occupancy activity throughout the building and responds accordingly. 

Ventilation dampers modulate and variable air volume boxes in each 

classroom adjust the heating, air-conditioning, and ventilation systems 

based on the number of occupants. The high-efficiency, hybrid air cooled 

and evaporative cooled chiller system significantly reduces energy 

consumption because it was designed according to the building occupancy 

schedule. Other energy-saving features include high efficiency condensing 

boilers that convert much more fuel into heat compared to conventional 

types, demand controlled ventilation with an energy recovery system, and 

variable flow pumping which reduces pump power at part-load conditions.

Site Orientation

The building’s orientation makes the most of the thermal energy of the 

sun and the natural light; it maximizes classroom daylight, increases energy 

savings, controls erosion, and minimizes light pollution. Careful 

consideration was given to preservation of existing trees, existing wind 

patterns, and sensitivity to wetlands. Proper site orientation drove the 

architect’s decisions about main entry placement, percentage and density 

of building façade glazing, classroom orientation, location of skylights, 

percentage of paved surfaces, and preservation of existing trees. In 

addition, the two-story construction reduced the building footprint. 

In winter, south-facing windows accept direct sunlight to light and warm the 

space. In summer, south-facing windows accept indirect sunlight (overhangs 

divert direct sunlight) to light the building interior without heating it.

1/2" Dens-Glass 

Gold Gypsum Sheathing 

Joints Sealed & Taped

Metal Studs 2" Rigid Continuous 

Insulation with 

Shiplap Edge

Brick 

Veneer

Fiberglass Insulation

 2” Airspace

Air & 

Vapor BarrierPeel & Stick Type

1/2" Blue Board

1/8" Veneer Plaster
Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing 

at least 50% wastepaper, including 10% postconsumer waste

Green Schools 

Initiative

The goal of the Green Schools Initiative 

is to design and build schools that 

offer productive learning environments, save money, and are resource 

efficient. It encourages school districts 

in Massachusetts to construct or renovate school buildings that cost less to 

operate through energy and water 

conservation and renewable energy 

measures while providing a healthy setting for students. The Massachusetts 

Technology Collaborative (MTC) and the 

Massachusetts School Building Authority 

are partners in this initiative; they work as 

a team to provide school districts in the 

state with the information and resources 

necessary to design and build high-performance schools. The initiative provides: 

 The Massachusetts High Performance 

Green Schools Guidelines (MACHPS) — Planning Guide and Criteria 

Document

 Information about utility rebate programs 

and MTC grants

 Technical assistance 

 Studies and reports for comparison 

information

For More Information on MTC

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

75 North Drive

Westborough, MA 01580

Phone: 508-870-0312

E-mail: mtc@masstech.org

Web site: www.masstech.org

Green Building: First Costs 

versus Life-Cycle Savings 

I

ncorporating smart energy saving design and 

energy-efficient technologies into buildings 

can yield impressive long-term savings, despite 

higher first costs. The long-term savings result 

from lower electricity, heating, cooling, and water 

costs as well as lower operation and maintenance 

costs. The first costs of some green buildings are 

comparable to or less than the cost for conventional construction because of resource efficiency 

and correctly sized mechanical, electrical, and 

structural systems. These systems are often 

oversized in standard buildings, and are therefore 

more expensive and less efficient.

The total construction cost for Whitman-Hanson 

was $41 million. Incorporating the green technol

ogy was 2.83% of total construction costs or an 

incremental cost of $4.85/ft2 without incentives, 

but the life-cycle benefits outweigh the first costs, 

especially when incentives are considered. 

Whitman-Hanson received more than $1.1 million 

in total incentives from both the local utility companies and a state incentive of 2%. Thus, if you 

exclude the solar electric generation system and 

all of the incentives, Whitman-Hanson had less 

than a nine-year payback to build green. As it 

turns out, when Whitman-Hanson included incentives, which were used to cover all of their associated incremental first costs, the payback for these 

green features is essentially immediate. The cost 

of the solar electric system was $580,000 and most 

of this was paid for by a $475,000 construction 

grant from MTC. 

Photo Credits: All photos by Bruce T. Martin

Daylighting with highly reflective surfaces is 

used in the classrooms, library, and cafeteria to 

offset electrical lighting loads and reduce energy 

consumption.

Produced for the 

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative 

by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 

a DOE national laboratory

NREL/BR-550-39261

June 2006

Life-Cycle Savings for Whitman-Hanson High School

Estimated energy savings $100,000/year

Estimated electricity from renewable energy 62,000 kWh/year

Estimated energy use savings beyond code 39%

Estimated water savings 603,540 gallons/year

Contacts

James Armstrong - CPE CEM 

Whitman Hanson Regional High School Building Committee 

Tel: 781-618-7412

Email: James.Armstrong@whrsd.org

James S. Jordan, Principal

Architecture Involution LLC (AI3) Architects

286 Boston Post Road

Wayland, MA 01778

Phone: 508-358-0790

E-mail: jordan@ai-3.com

Web site: www.ai-3.com

More Information

MTC Green Schools Initiative

www.masstech.org/RenewableEnergy/green_schools.htm

National Review of Green Schools: Costs, Benefits and 

Implications for Massachusetts

http://masstech.org/renewableenergy/katsstudy.html

The Costs and Benefits of Green Schools in Massachusetts

http://masstech.org/renewableenergy/hmfhstudy.html

Daylighting in Schools

www.h-m-g.com/ 

High-Performance Schools: Affordable Green Design for K-12 

Schools

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/34967.pdf 

Energy Design Guidelines for High-Performance Schools

www.eere.ener­gy.gov/buildings/highperformance/design_

guidelines.html

High-Performance Buildings Database 

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/database