The Smart Schools principles for good education, developed by David Perkins and

colleagues at Harvard Project Zero, are based on the two guiding beliefs: Learning is a
consequence of thinking, and good thinking is learnable by all students.

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

An intelligent school is not just an affordable and sustainable facility moving in the direction of a
Zero Net Energy building—it’s a profound learning environment. Schools will progressively be
interacting with an intelligent grid that will enable them to optimally procure energy at times and
sell energy at others. In many cases, on-site solar systems or battery storage will enable schools
to become Zero Net Energy. The curriculum will be integrated to the performance of the various
building systems. The school building serves as a platform for STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) along with environmental systems studies, financial literacy, and political
science and government. This is the vision of the 2030 Challenge.
Can you imagine the day when your school building is producing as much energy as it needs?
Can you envision that your next school won’t create pollution as it operates? What if your school
facility was a significant tool that prepared students for jobs that previous generations couldn’t
even imagine? Intelligent buildings are the future!
Buildings are the foremost cause of greenhouse gases (GHG) due to the materials they require
and the energy they demand. Architecture 2030—a non-profit organization focused on rapidly
transforming the global-built environment from the major contributor of GHG emissions to a
central part of the solution to the climate crisis— issued The 2030 Challenge, to drastically
reduce the growth rate of GHG emissions. Building and architecture professionals, as well as
leaders from a myriad of industries and government entities, are responding. The stage has been
set for low-carbon buildings; and schools with sustainability and high-performance attributes are
increasingly common place. Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings, while still the exception, are
anticipated to become the new normal we can all embrace.