San Diego Continuing Education’s new North City Campus have recently been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The 3,900 m2 education facility, designed by local firm Joseph Wong Design Associates, is one of 43 projects in the San Diego Community College District that have been awarded or are tracking certification.
Sustainability was incorporated into the core of the design. The facility includes an open-air courtyard that provides daylighting and natural ventilation to the majority of interior spaces. Operable windows for natural ventilation with sensors to shut down mechanical units when windows are open, exceeding California’s energy-efficiency standards by 35 percent. Low-E glazing on exterior windows lets daylight indoors while limiting glare and further reducing energy demand.
Building water demand is reduced by over 40% through the use of ultra-low flow fixtures and water efficient landscaping, as well as an underground drywell for treating storm water on-site.
Additional features that help reduce water consumption include include a green roof for filtering rainwater and aiding in drainage while minimizing the building’s heat-island effect; an on-site drywell to treat storm runoff; and low-flow plumbing fixtures that reduce water use by more than 30 percent compared to standard fixtures.
Well done JWDA!