New mural painted by Corps members

One year ago, American Youth Works received a grant from the EDA (Economic Development Administration) which allowed us to begin the process of moving our headquarters to a new building and revamping it to become LEED certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification verifies that a building has endeavored to establish a green working system in the areas of energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and improved indoor environmental quality. AYW began renovations last summer and is currently in Phase 2 of the project. Many changes have been made since last summer and we asked Project Manager Ted Roan to give us a tour of the developments.

Closed Cell Foam Insulation

Insulation & Air Ducts

We have swapped out the building’s old fiber glass insulation with closed cell foam insulation. This change has raised our insulating value up to 30% and stops hot air at the building envelope. This prevents the hot air from getting further into the building sooner. Along with the insulation, we have also replaced 100% of the old air ducts which has allowed us to reduce the number of roof top air units from 27 to 24. The combination of insulation and air duct transformations

South Window

has decreased overall energy usage and has increased the building’s air quality as well.

Windows

When we first moved in last summer, there were no windows on the South side of the building. We remedied this in order to let sun shine into the classroom. There are various studies showing how sunlight in classrooms greatly benefits the students health and concentration levels. We also placed shades outside to keep the heat out but let the light in.

Restrooms

Renovated Womens Restroom

We have also redone the building’s bathrooms and replaced the walls with tile and the partitions with stainless steel doors. Steam cleaners will be used to clean these surfaces easily and efficiently. Along with the walls and partitions, we have also installed dual flush toilets, automatic soap dispensers, and air hand dryers that blow air at 70 mph! All of these developments will be used to reduce water, paper, and electricity consumption.

Lighting

One of the most significant projects we’ve undertaken this summer is replacing all of the old lights. The previous lighting system used two ballasts and 4 bulbs. However, we have

Old Lighting System

replaced these old lights with a system that uses 1 electronic ballast and 3 high efficiency bulbs. We have placed this system in a reflector that reflects the light rather than diffuses it. Before, the lights totaled 30% of our energy usage but with the new light fixtures this will be greatly reduced. We also installed motion detectors in each room that deactivate lights when the room is not in use and temperature sensors that measure the thermal range of room temperature and keep the A/C unit within an energy efficient temperature range.

Motion and temperature sensors

Teaching Opportunities

While all of these changes are in the service of becoming more efficient and LEED certified, there is another major motivator behind the renovations. AYW will strive to incorporate the green changes into the classrooms as well.

“Our goal is to make the building more efficiently functional but through these changes we want to produce learning opportunities as well, “ says Ted Roan, our Project Manager. “We hope to develop AYW into a green job-training center where our students will gain skills, knowledge, and certifications that will aid them in the green job circuit. The experience they get here will help provide them with an edge over others competing in the same job market.”

Project Manager Ted Roan teaches Green Energy Corps members how to use the cutting-edge web-based building automation system.

Our building automated system is a prime example of using our renovations in the classroom. It allows us to view the air circulation and temperatures throughout the building via computer. We can change airflow and temperatures with the click of a mouse and it gives students a detailed diagram of the energy recovery ventilators that pre-cool the air before it gets to one of the roof top units. This program not only makes it easier to control the building environment but it also provides us with yet another avenue to train our students in the green field.

We have been working hard all year to bring these changes about and it’s not only showing on the inside. Our students and staff are working hard to improve the exterior of AYW along with the interior. Even our CEO, Parc Smith, lends a hand!

CEO Parc Smith lends a hand in the demo process.

Thanks to everyone for their continued hard work and commitment to bettering our AYW facilities! Things are coming together nicely and both the students and staff eagerly await the final result!