Sing Yin Secondary School is awarded the “Greenest School on Earth 2013” by the US Green Building Council for the outstanding performance in efficient use of resources and reduced environmental impact, enhanced health and learning among students, teachers and staff, emphasis on sustainability and resource-conservation education. 
    A lot of green features were adopted to the new campus of Sing Yin Secondary School when it was built in 2008. According to the research carried out during the formulation of the project, the introduction of these green features can bring to the school an energy saving efficiency of 27.3%. The energy saving facilities at the new campus have been in service for over two years, controlling the energy consumption per square meter per year at about 50kWh, which is 35% lower than the average energy consumption of other local schools.
     In 2008, Sing Yin Secondary School received a fund from Architectural Services Department to introduce energy-saving and emission-reducing facilities, including:
     * Automatic weather station – This facility beams real time weather data, relative humidity, and wind speed to classrooms to control use of air conditioning by environmental monitors. This system costs around HK$10,000 but could help save 40,000kWh of energy each year. 
     * Solar panels and wind turbines – These facilities are located on rooftops and can convert solar and wind energy into electricity for use in the school. All west-facing windows of classrooms feature semi-transparent solar panels which, while serving as sunshades, are capable of converting the sunlight into electricity. Besides electricity, the solar energy is also a heat source for hot water bathing.
     * Lighting system – Classrooms are equipped with solar optical fibre lights which substitute part of the electric lighting to save electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emission. In addition, natural lighting is better for the eyes and skin than ordinary electric lighting. The school's auditorium uses LED lights which are more durable than ordinary light tubes. This saves costs of both replacement and contractor services, which involve thousands of dollars. Moreover, all classrooms have light sensors which adjust indoor lighting according to outdoor lighting conditions and motion sensors which automatically turn off lighting and air-conditioning when they are unused.
     * Energy-saving elevators – The elevators in the school are capable of generating electricity. When they are in use, they can convert the potential energy into electricity for use. They help the school reduce electricity consumption by 42% when compared to normal elevators.
     “In addition to adopting energy-saving and emission-reducing hardware, we also weave environmental education into our curriculum by encouraging the students to explore and think about the importance of environmental protection,” said Mr Kwok But, principal of Sing Yin Secondary School. “We hope that this award will spread the concept of a sustainable lifestyle to our students, their parents and communities and promote sustainability in other schools.”
     For full coverage on Sing Yin Secondary School, please refer to BUILDING JOURNAL May 2013 issue. Subscribe E-version <click here>


(Photo: ArchSD)