The built environment represents one of the greatest opportunities to curb emissions, provide ecosystem services, and ensure accessible, high quality education for all. Buildings are not simply places to learn, connect, and grow. They are teaching tools with lessons behind each process, dollar, and piece of material that goes into their design, construction, and operation.
Equity in the built environment involves both the building caretakers (construction workers, facilities staff, and custodial staff) and the building occupants (students, faculty, and staff).
It is critical that building caretakers are fairly treated, equitably paid, and provided with appropriate workplace protections, and that building occupants’ side are provided with safe and accessible for spaces that allow for flexible, dynamic, and uninterrupted learning.
SMCCCD’s commitment to meeting and exceeding the highest sustainability building standards lends itself towards upskilling our facilities & maintenance staff while ensuring a healthy learning and working environment for our staff and students.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) evaluates a building’s environmental performance and encourages using sustainable designs and products to construct the building. In the United States, buildings account for almost 40% of the national CO2 emissions, but LEED-certified buildings have 34% lower CO2 emissions, consume 25% less energy and 11% less water, and have diverted more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills.
To receive LEED certification, buildings are graded in five environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Depending on how many points are awarded, buildings can receive either a LEED Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification, in that order.
Official Name: College Center
Area: 140,000 square feet
Inside: One-stop-shop for critical student services such as Admissions, Career Services, Counseling, Financial Aid and the Bookstore.
Coolest Feature: The grand central stair serves as not only a a major design statement, but also as the main return path for air during heating and cooling thus greatly reducing the number of return fans that would be needed for a system that relies on ductwork overhead to return air.
Certifications: LEED Gold
Official Name: Science & Technology Building
Area: 50,000 square feet
Inside: Provides modern instructional facilities for critical health, science and technology fields.
Coolest Feature: Cozy study nooks and great outdoor learning and gathering spaces.
Certifications: LEED Platinum
Official Name: Environmental Science Building
Area: 21,000 square feet
Inside: Two 56-seat classroom/laboratories, two 119-seat tiered lecture halls, academic offices, a catering kitchen, lobby and gallery/event space, and support spaces.
Coolest Feature: Its a toss up between the hydronic heating and cooling system and the floor to ceiling glass that provides extensive views of the Pacific Ocean. This building is also using geothermal underground piping to provide heating and cooling.
Certifications: LEED Gold
Official Name: Kinesiology and Wellness
Area: 85,000 square feet
Inside: A two story structure houses both academic and enterprise facilities, including classrooms for wellness activities, an extensive area for fitness equipment, and a full-size basketball gymnasium. An instructional aquatics pool and a competition pool are to the east of the structure.
Coolest Feature: Did someone say rooftop deck and pickle ball courts?
Certifications: LEED Gold
Official Name: Health and Wellness
Area: 88,000 square feet
Inside: Home to the Workforce programs including Dental Assisting, Hygiene, Nursing and Cosmetology as well as the Wellness and Aquatics Center.
Coolest Feature: Uses "Cool Roof" technology to reflect as much heat as possible back into the atmosphere to decrease the heat load of the building. The technology uses an almost white color for the roof and is made of material conducive to heat loss.
Certifications: LEED Gold
Official Name: Multicultural Center, Cosmetology and Administrative Building
Area: 79,000 square feet
Inside: Home to the School of Cosmetology, Spa and Esthetician training facilities, Multicultural Center and administrative offices.
Coolest Feature: The building uses improved thermal envelope, energy efficient lighting and occupant sensing lighting control, a condensing water heater and a high efficiency variable air volume system. As a result, total energy consumption has been reduced to be 24.6% better than the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 industry standard.
Certifications: LEED Silver