Narrative:
The watershed. The school sits on a beautiful site encompassing a complete watershed from the ridge of Ring Mountain to the San Francisco Bay. The watershed’s seasonal stream had been channelized into an eroding drainage ditch, and was fed by runoff from existing buildings and paving that washed pollutants into the wetlands below. The project restored the creek, replacing concrete swales with rockwork and riparian landscaping and providing places for student access to the creek. An extensive network of bioswales and landscape strategies greatly reduced runoff, while cisterns captured roof water for reuse. These are much more than storm-water and water efficiency strategies; they demonstrate the water cycle within a complete watershed, and have become wonderful amenities that are now some of the students’ favorite places.
Bioclimatic Design. To reinforce students’ connection between inside and out, passive strategies were used in over 90 percent of spaces that depend on natural ventilation and daylighting and encourage the building to open up. Summer and fall are hot, but nights are cool and breezes are common on site. Sun shading, landscaping, thermal mass and air movement provide excellent comfort without sealing the students off from the environment with its wonderful richness of sounds, sights, smells, and fresh air.
Design Innovation
source: http://www.aiatopten.org