De Anza College Media & Learning Center

Overview

With sustainability objectives written into the values statement of De Anza College, it was only natural that its Media & Learning Center serve as a sustainability bellweather, achieving LEED Platinum certification.

We provided LEED consulting to the college and the design team, led by Ratcliff Architects, for the 67,000-square-foot facility. The open, airy design houses digital media instruction resources, classrooms and offices for distance learning, staff development, and the Technology Resources Group, which operates the school’s broadcast media film and TV studio. The project was completed in 2013.

Highlights

• We coordinated with the owner and the design team to manage the LEED certification process by providing technical advice to the project team; coordinating and managing the LEED Online documentation effort; reviewing product submittals, RFIs, and shop drawings; and managing quality assurance and control procedures related to the certification process.
• The building’s orientation and layout were adjusted during planning to maximize energy efficiency and passive solar benefits, with rooftop photovoltaic panels and hot water panels.
• By harnessing free, renewable sources of energy, 93 percent of regularly occupied space has access to natural daylight, and the project easily earned daylighting credit, which is achieved by only 36 percent of LEED v2.2 projects.
• The project earned 100% of LEED indoor environmental quality credits. The building will use 71 percent less energy than educational building regional standards, resulting in expected annual savings of $60,000.
• Other sustainable features in the Media & Learning Center include buoyancy-driven ventilation, radiant heating in the lobby floor, high-performance skylights, and water runoff control.