Eco Factor: Sustainable, solar energy generating town center to protect people from earthquakes.
Residents of the earthquake prone Portola Valley of California can now have a sigh of relief as the newly constructed town center developed by architecture firms Siegel & Strain Architects and Goring & Straja Architects is both earthquake proof and ecofriendly as well. The architecture firms made use of materials recycled from an old school situated on the San Andreas Fault to develop the structure which is expected to get LEED Platinum certification soon.
The 11-acre site has three main structures – a library, a community center with classrooms and a town hall, all of which carry sustainable features including energy-efficient mechanical systems, recycled materials used for construction and solar panels on roofs that collectively generate 76 kilowatts of green electricity for the town center. The administration is also planning to integrate rainwater harvesting systems in the recent future, which can provide them with water necessary for landscaping the entire area.
The Dark Side:
The town center is made mostly of recycled wood and other materials that would require more energy for heating and cooling. The 76 kilowatts of power generated by the PV modules might just prove too little to keep the entire site grid-free.
Via: InteriorDesign
