Bringing pupils into building energy performance: School design, construction and operation

Colegio Rochester is school in Colombia with a strong vision for sustainability. This vision permeates the new school building which was the first school in Latin America to be awarded a LEED Gold certification. This article uses Colegio Rochester as a case study to understand how the individual roles and interactions between stakeholders, including pupils, shaped (and still shape) the energy performance of the building. Primary qualitative and quantitative data have been collected including interviews with the LEED consultants and multiple users, and a detailed analysis of the energy performance figures. The data was used to map users and the key connections between them, developing an understanding of the inputs that different users have had throughout construction and use of the building, and the drivers and impediments that have characterised the project. The energy performance in use was also compared against the modelled energy consumption predicted at design stage, showing a strong alignment with the real figures, in fact, lower than those predicted. The result of this case study is a detailed insight into how a project was delivered with a negative performance gap, with recommendations as to how this approach can be replicated across the Global South and the rest of the planet.