The University of San Diego’s new 55,000-square-foot Student Life Pavilion is seeking the campus’ first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Its distinctive Spanish Renaissance design belies the many modern environmentally friendly features contained within. “Green” features of the pavilion include natural ventilation with windows that open and an inner courtyard to promote air flow; the use of recyclable or recycled materials such as carpeting; a 40 percent reduction in water usage by low-flow water fixtures and low-water plantings on the rooftop offering panoramic views of Mission Bay and Tecolote Canyon. The building also has centralized AMX IT control to monitor energy use. The university is applying for the gold level of LEED certification. Sustainability efforts throughout the facility include rooftop herb and vegetable gardens; the use of compostable flatware, cups and plates; 100 percent Styrofoam-free, tray-less eateries and offerings of organic, Fair Trade and local foods and beverages. Additionally, the building is home to the first BioHitech system on a college campus. This system breaks down excess food scraps and converts it into water.

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High Tech High Chula Vista is the first school to be built in the City's University Park and Research Center. As the pioneer in this development, it was important to design a building and campus that set set a high standard for sustainability and aesthetics.

From the outset of the planning process HTHCV was designed to be the most sustainably designed and operated school in San Diego County, and a great place to learn. Pre-fabricating major building components off-site not only accelerated the construction schedule, it also increased the ability to control material use and increase quality, and reduce construction waste and site disturbance.

Similar to earlier HTH schools, HTHCV incorporates essential elements such as enhanced acoustics, abundant daylighting, and stringent indoor air quality standards. A photovoltaic (PV) solar electric panel system on the roof is generating approximately 115% of the school’s electrical demand. When the school is fully occupied in the Fall of 2010, the system will still provide over 80% of the school’s electrical demand.

The project has been submitted for the EPA Energy Star Program, Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Verification, and US Green Building Council LEED Gold Certification. Results for these certifications are due by February, 2010. Other points: - Energy performance is optimized to far exceed California Title 24 energy efficiency requirements, and the result is a documented 54% energy cost savings over a school that meets the already-stringent code requirements. - HTHCV is extremely energy efficient, and therefore the large solar photovoltaic array produces more energy than the school consumes in the first year. By the third year, it is anticipated that the solar system will produce as much as 80% of the school’s energy demand.

 This renewable energy source is grid-connected, serving the entire community, and is done in partnership with the SDG&E Sustainable Communities Program. - As further commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing renewable energy sources, HTHCV entered into a contract with Sterling Planet to purchase 100% of the school’s required power through only Green-e Certified power producers, which includes biomass, solar, and wind power generation certified sources. - Water efficient fixtures and operations results in a 52% water savings over the EPA guidelines.

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Urban Corps of San Diego County is a non-profit organization that provides education and jobs to young adults aged 18-25. The majority of youth employed at Urban Corps are high school drop outs who have little or no job training. At Urban Corps they learn new skills while contributing to the overall quality of life in the San Diego area.

Urban Corps’ Recycling Education and Community Outreach (ECO) Center is now under construction and will be complete by the end of 2009. The building has been designed by MPA Architects and is being constructed by Nielsen Construction Ca. to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification. The goal is to achieve multiple credits in order to receive Silver rating. Square footage: 5, 812 sq. feet

The Recycling ECO Center will serve as a multi-purpose resource center for the entire San Diego region for educating, training and demonstrating how recycling and conservation: preserves natural resources; reduces pollution; reduces waste hauling costs/expenses; and employs at-risk youth. Part of the Recycling ECO Center curriculum will include fun, hands-on educational exhibits as well as demonstrations on closed-loop recycling, open-loop recycling and “precycling.” As an added bonus, the center will provide Urban Corps of San Diego County with additional space to supplement its successful recycling collection program, which diverts thousands of pounds of recyclables from the waste stream each year.

An important educational and aesthetic component of the Recycling ECO Center will be the Rooftop Resource Garden. The garden will provide an opportunity for the public to experience the value of urban forestry and gardening. Specifically, the Rooftop Resource Garden will serve as a model of sustainable urban working and living environments. A committee of urban landscape/ conservation experts has been assembled to design and execute the garden, as well as to create an adjoining curriculum for visitors of all ages that will include hands-on exhibits and demonstrations on urban gardening and irrigation, its impact and value to the community as a whole. As a result, hundreds of youth in the UCO program will learn urban gardening techniques, while the overall community is exposed to concepts of sustainability.

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Bacon Street Offices The bacon street offices are located within the existing community of Ocean Beach and serve as an educational resource for issues related to the re-use of small community buildings in an environmentally sustainable manner. The offices are designed around an ‘open’ work environment that make use of the former auto-repair shop. Community members regularly stop by the offices to ask questions, get information and comment on the positive change the building has had on the visual environment. Net Zero Energy The project has been designed to achieve Net Zero energy usage, making it the first commercial building in San Diego to do so. As a result, carbon emissions will be reduced by over 16,000 lbs per year from fossil fuel burning energy sources. A monitoring system has been put in place to track the actual use of each building system, and over the next year data will be tracked to provide ‘real world’ information for use in educating others about these strategies. All electrical systems within the project have been designed to reduce energy loads by over 42,000 kWh per year. The remaining energy is offset by renewable electrical and water heating energy located on the roof top. LEED Gold The project has been awarded a LEED Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. Project Sustainability Highlights include: • Over 90% of the existing building was re-used • 86% of construction waste was diverted to recycling • Permeable site area was increased by 58% • Reduced heat island effect for site and roof • Reduction of site water use by over 70% • Reduction of building water use by over 46% • Optimized energy performance 64% better than Title-24 • CO2 emissions reduction of 137% (16,316 lbs of carbon dioxide) • Use of onsite renewable energy to offset 130% of demand • Use of 100% natural ventilation for cooling • Low VOC emitting materials and finishes • Photocell controlled Light systems and motion sensors • Light and temperature control of personal environment is provided • 100% of occupied spaces have daylight and views • Solar water heating

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Located on a small triangular lot located at 54th Street and Chollas Parkway in City Heights, a grass roots effort has taken hold to create a community farm for the surrounding neighborhood. Spearheaded by San Diego's Somali Bantu Community Organization, this farm plot will be the first of its kind for this neighborhood. It will provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the community and may also provide an economic opportunity to sell the produce local businesses.

Beginning in 2006, Hamadi Jumale, a Somali refuge, teamed with the San Diego office of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a non-governmental agency that assists refugees worldwide, to find and acquire a parcel of land that would give the women of his community an opportunity to produce something. Amy Lint, IRC’s New Roots Farm Coordinator and others who have worked closely with Jumale say that in addition to creating a much-needed outlet for the talents of the Bantu women, his efforts have established a link to their fading culture.

Open since mid-July, the New Roots Community Farm is a raw patch of land located on 2.2 acres of city property with the potential to supplement the diets of hundreds if not thousands of low-income individuals living in greater San Diego. Several other communities, including Vietnamese, Cambodian and Guatemalan groups, are taking part in the farm. This is an enormous opportunity for a community that does not always have even their basic needs met. These farms plots will provide not only sustenance but will also carry forth the tradition of numerous cultures who call City Heights home.

In January 2009 the County of San Diego proudly opened the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center. This is the first public agency building in San Diego to obtain a LEED PLATINUM certification. The educational facility utilizes a multitude of innovative LEED features and incorporates state-of-the art, interactive exhibits that showcase the local ecology and the environmental benefits of the LEED program.

The San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center’s goal is to increase awareness and education of sustainability and the environment. In support of this effort the building was designed by Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects to meet the Platinum Certification requirements of the LEED program. The building incorporates green building elements including radiant floor heating, green planted roof, recycled cotton insulation, certified renewable lumber, photovoltaics that will provide 52% of energy requirements, natural daylighting and ventilation, stormwater filtering, and native vegetation. It is one of the few buildings in San Diego that utilize recycled water in interior plumbing to supply the toilets. Perhaps most important is that the facility is used as a venue to educate the public on the advantages of sustainable design.

The goal for the San Elijo Visitor Center is to utilize the LEED PLATINUM certification to educate the public on environmentally friendly building design and present a “practice what we preach” public facility; demonstrating conservation of natural resources, use of recycled and environmentally friendly construction materials, reduced carbon footprint and water use. State of the art, museum quality, interactive exhibits and interpretive signage bring this message home to visitors. Exhibits also incorporate innovative view panels in the floors, walls and ceilings that provide visitors “windows” into the internal special features of the construction, normally hidden from the naked eye. The facility will serve to promote future sustainable design in the San Diego region.

As with any successful project, it was important to have a dynamic, dedicated team. Kudos to the County of San Diego, Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects, Riha Construction and the many consultants who worked on this project. This project has been recognized by the US Green Building Council, Sustainable Communities Program, San Diego Excellence in Energy Awards (SANDEE), Concrete Masonry Association and Green Building of America.

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Here is a concerted effort to establish a comprehensive sustainable program that includes architectural design but also extends to the systems required for wastewater treatment – electricity generation, water recycling, and solid waste recycling.

Encina Wastewater Authority (EWA) provides wastewater treatment to 300,000+ San Diego County residents. Facilities include a 36 million gallon/day wastewater treatment plant, water recycling facility and pump stations. EWA has defined a comprehensive sustainable site philosophy for an energy efficient and environmentally responsive facility.

Recent steps in implementing this philosophy include enhancements to on-site electrical cogeneration system, a new solid waste treatment facility that creates fuel pellets on site which are used to provide energy at local concrete plants, and even experiments with Scripps Oceanography to develop media for raising algae that can be converted to bio-fuel.

Now, take a look at the new operations complex. Designed to last more than 100 years, the facility follows the owner’s sustainable philosophy for an energy efficient and environmentally responsive facility. The board of directors mandated LEED guidelines be followed, though certification was not pursued.

A study during design identified 38 potential qualifying credits. Elements incorporated include:

• Site selection
• Public transportation access – bus and train
• Bicycle storage and changing rooms
• Electric vehicle recharge stations
• Site contained storm water management and full treatment
• Cool roof
• Light pollution reduction
• Recycled irrigation water
• Low flow toilet fixtures with automatic controls
• Pre-plumbed for future recycled water use
• Building systems commissioning plan
• Use of on site cogeneration system
• Ozone protection
• Storage and collection of recyclables
• Construction waste management plan, including recycling of materials from demolished existing building
• Recycled/recyclable content in building materials:
• Local/regional materials including concrete masonry
• Tobacco smoke control
• Indoor air quality management:
• Low emitting materials – paint, sealants
• Thermal comfort, daylight and views: Abundant natural lighting, skylights, light shelves. Large operable windows with high efficiency glazing, exterior balconies. Exterior shading devices
• The lobby is designed as an unconditioned area. A thermostatically controlled system that opens low windows and high louvers at a set temperature provides passive ventilation. On unusually hot days, the louvers close and an auxiliary exhaust fan provides added comfort. Heating is restricted to the receptionist floor area. The boardroom incorporates a similar passive cooling option. These high-performance facilities are expected to consume 25+% less energy than code allows.
• It’s time to call the public’s attention to the remarkable work being done here. Encina is definitely worth an award for sustainability.

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The West City Campus for Continuing Education is a new $18 million project that serves as the Campus of Excellence for Hospitality and Consumer Sciences, and is a model of smart construction and energy efficiency, reducing utility and maintenance costs substantially compared to a standard building. Sustainable design and construction can greatly reduce the amount of energy need to produce and transport materials, and to construct, operate and maintain a building. At West City, quality of life for the building users will be enhanced by better connections to the outside environment, and reduction of materials and systems contributing to indoor pollution. The use of sustainable materials or those with a high volume of recycled content is proving to have an aesthetic value as well, prompting users to learn more about these materials and see the benefits of including these materials in their learning and working environment.

Storm Water Management - The parking area is constructed with pervious concrete, which allows storm water to percolate through into the ground. Building roof drains are directed into landscaped detention basins, which also filter the water and absorb into the ground. This recharges the aquifer and greatly reduces run-off that may migrate into the Bay and San Diego River.

Heat Island Reduction – Light colored roofing, concrete paving, and canopy-type trees will reduce the heat absorbed and re-radiated by the West City building and site. Light Pollution Reduction – Fully shielded exterior lighting helps reduce nighttime glare, both for neighbors and on the nighttime sky. High-efficiency fixtures also reduce electrical consumption.

Water Efficient Landscaping – Trees and shrubs have been selected for their compatibility to the area, to provide shade and to minimize the need for water. A high-efficiency irrigation system utilizes a controller that adjusts itself to local weather.

Water Use Reduction – Restrooms are equipped with water-saving aerators, low-flow toilet valves and waterless urinals to reduce the need for water by 30% from a typically-constructed building.

Lighting and Ventilation – High-efficiency lighting and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are used to reduce the need for energy. Lighting controls automatically dim or shut off the lights when there is adequate daylight from outside. Economizers turn off the air conditioning and circulate filtered outside air when the outdoor temperature is comfortable. These features reduce the need for energy by 38% and are expected to save up to $40,000/year in operating costs over standard construction.

Building Materials – Building materials were selected to provide high performance and reduce environmental impact. High efficiency windows and skylights optimize views and daylighting while reducing heat transmission into or out of the building. Whenever possible, materials are from local manufacturers, have high recycled content, and have low off-gassing of volatiles. Materials that do not require waxing and refinishing were also selected to reduce maintenance and limit contaminants washed down the drains.

Construction Waste Management – Recycling and salvaging programs during construction diverted a minimum of 75% of the waste from our landfills.

The project is expected to meet eligibility requirements for a Silver LEED certification, requiring a very high level of design, construction and performance. The incorporation of sustainable materials throughout the facility serve to inform and enhance appreciation and understand of green building practices in regard to environmental health, water savings, energy efficiency, quality of the indoor environment, and innovative use of sustainable and recycled materials.

The facility serves as model project for sustainability and is a working, living laboratory for mitigation issues that continue to inform and inspire local architects, engineers and contractors. The West City project involved some direct environmental benefits including the substantial reduction in emissions associated with the very low site energy use. By reducing regulated electrical use by approximately 47%, the building’s associated reduction in CO2 emissions is estimated at 16 tons per year. The peak electrical demand is reduced by approximately 40%, which helps to alleviate pressure on existing production and distribution systems.

Also, 50% of the remaining annual electrical use for the building will be offset for two years by a Green Tags contract, which will ensure that renewable energy is generated in an amount equal to the remaining estimated annual regulated grid electrical use. This strategy is also replicable. In addition to these primary environmental benefits that are due to integrated design and a commitment to energy and resource efficiency, there are substantial related secondary environmental and related community benefits associated with the West City Center project.

Heat Island Effect is a phenomenon found in most of our cities. It is caused by the re-radiation of absorbed light and associated heat in dark man-made materials such as roofing and asphalt paving. To combat this effect, the building utilizes a cool roofing membrane, which reflects rather than absorbs the heat. This also keeps the building cooler and reduces cooling requirements. The driveways and parking lot use permeable concrete paving and wide canopy type trees that will also prevent daytime heat absorption. Water use has been reduced by over 40% through the use of low-flow lavatories, waterless urinals, low-flow water closets, and low-flow kitchen sinks. This reduction in demand also reduces the amount of energy that is required to move water into the region. The project takes advantage of the ability of the soil to percolate water. Storm water runoff has been minimized by the use of onsite detention basins and pervious concrete pavement. This benefits everyone by greatly reducing the storm water runoff that often contaminates our oceans and bays. This project also lessens the burden on the municipal drain system.

Indoor Environment: The quality of the indoor work environment can play a significant part in the support of the educational mission of this Continuing Education campus. This project addresses the indoor environment in several ways. The generous use of windows and controllable skylights reinforces a connection to the outside environment and reduces the need for artificial lighting. Economizers allow the heating, ventilating and cooling system to take advantage of non-conditioned outside air to ventilate the building. This ensures that occupants have adequate amounts of fresh air without unnecessarily increasing building cooling loads. The system also automatically monitors Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels and alerts occupants if they exceed recommended standards. Low-emitting materials are used throughout the project: all adhesives, sealants, paints, and carpeting are low-VOC.

Resources: Recycling is encouraged and facilitated by conveniently locating collection and storage facilities on-site, both indoors and outdoors. Additionally, by grinding the foundations and parking lots, construction waste was carefully recycled or reused on-site and reduced the burden on local landfills by 75% over standard construction. Ozone emitting coolants such as CFC’s, HCFC’s, or Halons, all of which deplete the ozone layer, were not used in the project.

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North Island Credit Union is a six story, 130,000 s.f. corporate headquarters located in San Diego, California. The building massing of heavy stone and light glass and aluminum curtain wall reflects the two divergent cultures that exist at North Island Credit Union; a solid financial institution with an open casual community. The building embraces the “Island” theme with enhanced concrete designed to mimic the breaking surf, tropical landscaping and a lobby complete with a wooden structure reminiscent of a palapa or palm fronds. Building amenities include: multiple balconies, large community center for public and employees, health club, a café/lunchroom, large training facility for employees, corporate boardroom, and quiet relaxation room complete with Zen garden. The building is LEED “Silver” certified. Efforts have been made in all aspects of the design to make the building as “Green” as possible. The use of recycled water for irrigation, waterless urinals, recycled materials, renewable materials (such as bamboo flooring), recycling of construction debris, and a focus on efficient mechanical systems and building envelope design will hopefully encourage others to follow suit with responsible design.

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Turning an Onion into an Orchid The existing building wa a particularly ugly, un-loved 1960's era industrial concrete tilt-up structure with much exposed HVAC equipment and ductwork visible. It sat on the edge of the Penasquitos Reserve. The new structure stands over the old building. Completely separate structurally and seismically. The old roof has become a screened "interstitial spave for all the HVAC, Plumbing and electrical equipment etc. required to run a modern lab. The new roof is completely clean, white and uncluttered (almost unheard-of for a lab/research building) There are plans to add curved, blue, thin-film, amorphous silicon photovoltaic panels in the future. The new labs have high-efficiency, floor-to-ceiling glass walls to allow maximum views of the adjoining reserve and let in maximum natural light.

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