Feb 3 2011
Today, both the Hesperia Police Department and neighboring Jerry Lewis High Desert San Bernardino County Government Center received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The 42,000-square-foot police department and the 66,700-square-foot government center are the third and fourth buildings to be completed at the Hesperia Civic Center.
Photovoltaic arrays provide for 70% of each facility's energy needs.
California-based design firm LPA Inc. began master planning the civic center in concert with Griffin Structures in 2001, and has provided architectural design services for all of the buildings that have been built at the center which include the previously completed Hesperia City Hall and Public Library.
"Over the last three years or so, we've worked intimately with LPA and Griffin Structures to get this project under way and built, and it's turned out to be an absolutely marvelous, gorgeous facility. We put a lot of foresight into it -- we hope -- with the idea that it needs to function as our facility for the next 20, 30 years and we're very happy with the way it turned out,” said Captain Lance Clark, of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
LEED Gold certification provides impartial proof of the light footprint, environmental sensitivity, water and energy efficiency of these facilities. In fact, due to funding received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), both projects were able to incorporate renewable energy sources –which are designed to offset 70% of each facility’s energy consumption.
Additional energy efficient features include:
- Efficient building skin design and efficient mechanical equipment that allow the police department to operate 17.8% better than Title 24 code requirements.
- Lighting and occupancy controls in all occupied spaces.
- Natural day-lighting through windows and overhead skylights.
- Louvered canopies reduce solar heat gain on south facing windows.
Other sustainable features include:
- Drought tolerant landscaping and efficient irrigation systems that reduce potable water consumption by 91%.
- More than 90% of construction waste from the police department was diverted from landfills, and recycled; and more than 86% from the government center.
- More than 20% of construction material was made of recycled content.
- More than 25% of materials used in construction of the police department were locally sourced, within 500 miles; and more than 30% from the government center.
This marks 15 LEED certified completed projects that LPA has achieved, with another 34 in progress, making the company one of the most experienced sustainable architecture firms in the country. From virtual reality to fruition, the firm has a track record of using energy-related data to replace intuition or guesswork. Pioneering green design since the early 1990s, the Hesperia Police Department and Jerry Lewis High Desert San Bernardino County Government Center are two more examples of LPA’s commitment to sustainable design for every project, budget, building type, and scope.
"Throughout my career I've had to manage several building projects from the sheriff's department side. This was obviously one of the biggest projects I've worked on but at the same time, one of the easiest, and the lowest stress as well,” finishes Captain Clark. “I think the floor-plan turned out wonderful and the overall design is great.”
Source: http://www.lpainc.com/