Understanding that the built environment impacts our physical, mental, and social health, how do we now successfully implement and measure health and wellness strategies in our building designs and operations? DC Public Schools is directly tackling this challenge by following an Integrated Process for Health Promotion for upcoming school modernization projects that brings together community stakeholders and design teams to assess school-specific health priorities and develop equitable design solutions. For West Elementary School, DCPS is also pursuing the relatively new WELL Building Standard certification to evaluate how the WELL standard can positively affect the youngest of students, support surrounding communities, and help transform existing building standards and operations. Through a joint effort with DCPS and the West Elementary design team, led by Perkins Eastman, the school design is being optimized to achieve a healthy learning environment via the pursuit of WELL and Net Zero Energy certification. School operational policies are being evaluated through the WELL benchmark via a series of workshops and stakeholder discussions that complement the Integrated Process . Presenters will discuss steps taken for an integrated health approach, the design strategies that have been selected to optimize equitable health and learning outcomes, and the policies that have been evaluated to successfully achieve health outcomes in DC public schools.


Learning Objectives:   At the completion of this course, participants will be able to: Identify an Integrated Design Process for Health Promotion in their projects; Describe how climate change, health, and equity in our communities are interrelated, and why they must considered holistically; Evaluate opportunities to implement and   measure health and wellness strategies on any project through the use of leading edge standards and rating system benchmarks; and Identify the social, physical, and mental aspects of health, and how the design process can expand beyond traditional design services to maximize the impact of their work. 


Speakers:
Andrea Swiatocha, AIA - Deputy Chief of Facilities, DCPS

Tanya Eagle, Assoc. AIA - Senior Associate and Sustainability Specialist, Perkins Eastman

Ann Neeriemer, AIA, LEED AP - Senior Associate, Perkins Eastman


Credits:  1.5 HSW|LUs; 1.5 GBCI Credits (Self-Report)  1.5 AICP CM; 1.5 LACES