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Palomar Community College District

Maintenance and Operations Complex

A net zero maintenance and operations facility becomes a campus community focal point

Information

Location San Marcos, California
Size 28,000 SF
Completion 2018
Project Type Community Colleges

The Maintenance and Operations Complex for Palomar Community College District is a 28,000 SF facility that serves the grounds and maintenance division across the entire 252-acre campus. The design of the Maintenance and Operations Complex integrates traditionally segmented shop spaces, office spaces, and warehouse space into one facility. It provides a diverse user group with an active, high-performance workplace that fully utilizes innovative passive design principles to embrace the southern California climate and a narrow building footprint to provide year-round optimal temperatures throughout the building. The spatial diversity of the complex presented a unique opportunity to reallocate the costs associated with mechanical infrastructure to the building façade. Innovative design strategies, such as thermal chimneys and roof monitors, create increased natural ventilation, lower building energy consumption, and decrease mechanical infrastructure. Other strategies include rainwater harvesting, renewable energy, and daylight harvesting.

Impact + Innovation

While campus operations facilities are often relegated to secondary locations, the Maintenance and Operations Complex is located at a highly visible campus gateway at Palomar Community College. BNIM used site topography and the strategic placement of the building to screen vehicular uses and to create a series of memorable indoor and outdoor spaces that are visible from pedestrian and vehicular entries to the campus. The facility includes 344 solar panels that provide 105 percent of total energy usage, operating as a Net Zero Energy building. The Maintenance and Operations Complex was also designed to achieve LEED Platinum. These sustainable strategies demonstrate the affordability in sustainable design and provide the user with a “long life, loose fit” building which allows the Maintenance and Operations Complex to remain useful and operational well beyond the life many similar buildings.

Process

BNIM and Level10 Construction were chosen as the design build team to lead the project, and from the outset, worked closely with the college to refine project goals within the GMP budget and timeline. As the design and construction team worked with the College to show them how strategic high-performance design strategies can simultaneously fall within a given budget while increasing the lifespan of a project as well as its value over that time span, goals were modified to reflect more ambitious desires. The end result is a project that challenges the typical maintenance and operations building typology by creating a positive, high-performance campus environment that centers on human purposed design. Goal refinement included adding the creation of a front door to the campus and establishing a new identity for the facilities department to the broader consideration of the campus architectural context. An initial goal of designing for a minimum of LEED Silver certification soon turned into the College’s desire to create a facility that would set a campus precedent for sustainability. After the design team highlighted the benefits of Net Zero Building design and the fact that this could be accomplished within the established budget, the College determined that not only did it want to pursue Net Zero Energy status, but also LEED Platinum certification as well as Living Building Petal certification.

Sustainability

105% total building energy usage provided by use of 344 solar panels
20.95 kBTU designed EUI
80% mechanical system reduction through high efficiency building envelope
85% reduction in cooling hours and 30% heating load reduction through the passive design system and natural ventilation
50% water savings through rain harvesting, native planting, and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
19% reduction in space usage/increase in space efficiency by department (from 34,719 SF to 28,000 SF)

People

Team

Chad-Jamie Riguad
Daniel Brown
Kyle Goebel
Eric Janes
Philip Bona
Matthew Porreca
Elif Tinney
Aaron Ross
Tam Tran
Lara Stucki
Jeff Marsch
Cheryl Lough
Soon Jung
Kaylee Drexel

Client

Palomar Community College

I believe that for most of the occupants, the most beneficial aspect of the building design is a combination of the amount of natural daylight and the volume of the space which was done to enhance passive ventilation strategies and increase storage capacity. The brightness of the spaces (without artificial lighting) and volume give the design a distinct feeling of lightness to it that is palpable. The result has been a noticeable change in staff mood from one of tension and grumpiness to now one of happiness and enthusiasm. For me personally, the amount of daylight and the fact that I can just look up from my computer screen and see across the room to the outside where I have a view of the bio-retention basin with its lush landscaping and the surrounding hills is rejuvenating. Almost every day I find myself taking a minute to walk to the exterior windows just to look out at the landscaping and views. Just a short amount of time re-energizes me both physically and mentally, to complete the next task or finish out the day.

Dennis Astl R.A., CCM, LEED AP, Manager, Construction & Facilities Planning, Palomar Community College

While I am happy to say that we have definitely become an example to the rest of the District, the most surprising and unanticipated outcome of the project has been that we have become an example to our local community, region and with the recent GREEN GOOD DESIGN award, the world of good sustainable design. While we are honored to serve as that example, it was not something that we ever contemplated achieving. For me personally, the most gratifying experience has been when staff have brought their families in to take a look at where they work and to have their children, all under the age of 10, all tell me that they REALLY like the building. These are completely unsolicited comments from kids still young enough not to be jaded by stereotypes or politics, etc. To know that we have provided a place for their parents to work that children (the most honest of human beings) like is the greatest compliment we could ever receive.

Dennis Astl R.A., CCM, LEED AP, Manager, Construction & Facilities Planning, Palomar Community College

This new complex is truly state-of-the-art in terms of energy efficiency and sets an example for the way all new buildings should be built.

Dr. Joi Lin Blake, Superintendent / President, Palomar Community College District

Media

Library

News

Ideas

Future-Proofing Education: Community Colleges Invest in Next Generation Critical Workforce by Emphasizing Equality in Education and Career Training

Awards

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture & Design & The European Centre for Architecture Art
Green Good Design Award 2020
2020

Prairie Gateway Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
2020 PGASLA Award of Excellence
2020

ASLA Central States
Merit Award, ASLA Central States FUSE 2020 Awards
2020

Southern California Development Forum
Citation, Technological Innovation, Annual Design & Philanthropy Awards
2019

San Diego Green Building Council
Merit Award, Living Building Challenge Category
2019

Orchids and Onions Awards | San Diego Architectural Foundation
Malone Grand Orchid Award
2019

Orchids and Onions Awards | San Diego Architectural Foundation
Orchid Award
2019

ENR
National Best of the Best Green Project
2019

Design-Build Institute of America
Design-Build National Award of Merit, Educational Facilities
2019

California Higher Education Conference
California Community College Overall Sustainable Design Award
2019

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California
Honor Award, Engineering Excellence
2019

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California
National Recognition Award, Engineering Excellence
2019

AIA San Diego
Merit Award
2019

AIA Kansas
Merit Award, Architectural Project
2019

ENR
National Best of the Best Green Project Award
2018

AutoDesk
Finalist in Sustainability, AEC Excellence Awards
2017