The City of Santa Rosa envisioned a simple set of buildings at the north end of their Stony Point campus that would stand as an example of sustainability and showcase their commitment to environmental stewardship.
The Sawtooth Story
The zig-zag roof looks pretty cool as you approach the building from the site entrance. But its purpose of bringing daylight deep into the 3 sectioned conference center minimizes the need for artificial lighting and enhances otherwise windowless meeting spaces.
MORE THAN A PARKING LOT
The sustainable site story starts with permeable paving and orchard plantings that mitigate the heat island effect, and ends with Bio-Swales. Rain gardens with native landscaping reduce the quantity of rainwater runoff and remove pollutants before they enter the storm drain system.
HEALTHY WORKERS/HEALTHY CITY
City Utility workers spend long days in the outdoors during cold rainy winters and blazing hot summers. But they now start and end their day in a workplace that values their contribution to the health of the City’s Water system. Morning meetings take place in their open team area that opens through a garage door into a large day lit break room. The full kitchen is an important component for the facility that doubles as the City’s Emergency Operations Center.
The maintenance Facility also provides a comfortable workspace for employees that service the City’s vehicle fleet. Clerestory windows and large roll up doors allow in plenty of light and fresh air. Radiant heating in the floors keeps the shops area toasty in the winter!
Offices, crew rooms, and a central mail center feature a highly efficient under-floor displacement ventilation system that allows occupants to independently control the temperature of their own space, even within open office environments.
The Utilities Field Office is an elegant expression of the project’s primarily utilitarian function, emphasizing a quality workplace environment within the context of a healthy, sustainable facility.
RECOGNITION
North Bay Business Journal Top Green Design Project 2011
American Society of Civil Engineers, Outstanding Project of the Year 2011
BUILDING STATS
Client: City of Santa Rosa
Size: 40,000
Budget: $16 M
Completion: 2011