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challenge
Convince School District to go green on this project
solution
The award-winning Argonne Center—San Francisco's first solar
school—demonstrates that sustainable design is achievable and
affordable. Although the client did not request a sustainable building,
450 architects took the initiative to explore green design and renewable
energy options and present their benefits to the School District. Our
studio saw the SFUSD project as an opportunity to respond to the
far-sighted San Francisco Sustainability Plan, enacted in 1997 but not
yet widely implemented.
Our advocacy helped persuade the School District to integrate the
newest solar technology, sustainable building practices, and select
green materials into the Argonne Center. Simple strategies created minimal
environmental impact:
- photovoltaic (PV) collectors and skylights
- minimal mechanical systems
- a deeply shaded east-west solar orientation
- environmentally sensitive, low-VOC building and interior materials
- preserved open space, including a mature grove of eucalyptus
- low-maintenance landscaping
The success of this experience helped move the School District toward
incorporating more sustainable design practices in its facilities
construction. The Argonne Center, a prototype for future projects,
already serves as a solar demonstration site and teaching tool.
challenge
Balance School District goals and neighborhood concerns
solution
When the School Board decided to significantly expand an existing
one-room nursery school, neighbors feared a negative impact on their
long-established community garden. Our outreach work—programming
meetings, design charettes, and community organizing—resulted in
neighborhood representation in the design process. We created a
building carefully sited and scaled to the needs of students, teachers,
and neighbors. This ensured that new classrooms could be added to the
site to meet the district's need for more space while preserving open
space and the garden—San Francisco's largest—for the local community.
challenge
Fit a large program into a very modest budget
solution
Simple strategies resulted in a cost-effective design that also provides
a welcoming and comfortable space for children. But additionally, as we
worked to convince the client to consider solar installation, our design
team also sought funding resources beyond the project budget. 450
architects went after grant monies to finance the design and
installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system for the building. Coupled
with neighborhood fund-raisers and solar demos conducted at the site
by the design team, this brought in enough new money to include a
solar energy system in the design. We also secured a grant to finance
drought-resistant native plants for the landscaping.
With the solar system promising a budget-conscious future, this
project also advanced our mission to minimize the long-term operating
expenses of our public-sector clientele. Once installed, photovoltaics
operate at no additional cost and with no loss in efficiency, even as
they continue to save taxpayers money in the years ahead.
A collaborative spirit prevailed throughout this project, with neighbors
and architects working together to plant the landscape and repair a
garden greenhouse.
The 6,078 s.f. building came in on budget.
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San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)
American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment
Top Ten Green Buildings, 2003
National School Boards Association
Unanimous Design Citation, 2002
National Tour of Solar Homes, 2001, 2002
AIA San Francisco
Small Firms, Great Projects 2002
"California dominates 2003 AIA Top 10 Green Projects," Architectural Record, May 2003
"A Glorious Modesty," arcCA (Architecture California),
Winter 2002
"Argonne Child Development Center," New Village, Issue 3, 2002
"Argonne Child Development Center, San Francisco's First
Solar-Powered School," CASH Register (Coalition for Affordable School Housing), January 2001
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