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Energy-Efficient, Award-Winning Green Architecture
A CCAIA Award-winning solution, this $8 million facility consists of a 21,000 square foot administrative building with an adjacent 30,000 square foot maintenance building,
and a 74,000 square foot parking structure. This energy-efficient complex is a dramatic presence directly adjacent to the Santa Monica Freeway in west Los Angeles.
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| Key Project Considerations |
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Energy reduction and response to
environmental considerations were a central concern throughout the design process |
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Focusing on site orientation
in order to maximize energy efficiency, we included both solar panels and passive energy methodologies |
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Always viewed by moving automobiles, it was desired that the Santa Monica Bus Administration facility be an architectural symbol evoking the positive feeling of motion and travel |
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| Project Successes Achieved Through Design |
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Surrounded by buses as they wait to depart,
the facility's concrete parking base, round concrete columns, metal cladding, and overall curved shape are key to
the building's symbolic vocabulary of motion and travel |
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The design focuses on
maximizing passive energy gains and efficiency through daylighting, sun protection
and thermal massing on the south side of the structure, with larger areas of
north-facing glass protected from direct sunlight from the south and west |
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Whereas energy-efficient
design is often slightly less cost effective in the short term, total design costs generally
remained well below 10 percent of the total construction budget—less than 0.7 percent of the
typical life-cycle costs of a building |
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Energy efficiency
allows the City of Santa Monica to maximize its cost savings and in turn devote
saved funds to other needs throughout the building's life cycle |
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Working in concert with the client's staff, we developed a design program of innovative arrangements for the administrative building and large garage spaces that significantly enhances interaction between colleagues |
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Utilizing ocean breezes and reducing reliance on HVAC,
a wind scoop and plenum system allow for natural cooling, with operable
windows available for additional ventilation when needed |
