The Charles David Keeling Apartments at UC San Diego, a LEED Platinum-rated project, has a stormwater management system integrated in the courtyard. Photo © Tim Griffith

The Charles David Keeling Apartments at UC San Diego have been awarded LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction) Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council, making it the first LEED Platinum student housing in the University of California system. It is also the first new building at UC San Diego to receive a Platinum rating. The LEED certification system provides independent, third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Platinum is the highest LEED certification level that can be achieved.

“The entire team worked mightily with the client to design every increment and system so that the complex could reach this high pinnacle,” says James Timberlake, FAIA, lead design partner at KieranTimberlake, the architecture firm responsible for the project. “It is a pilot project for UC San Diego in many ways, and we hope it serves as a model for environmentally responsible student housing not only for the UC system, but for colleges and universities around the country.”

Named in honor of Charles David Keeling, the American scientist whose research at Scripps Institute first alerted the world to the possibility of the human impact on global atmospheric carbon, the Apartments employ a suite of tactics to address Southern California’s pressing environmental challenges of storm water management, water scarcity, and carbon emissions.

The Keeling Apartments are cooled naturally with ocean breezes, overhangs, and screens for sun control. Photo © Tim Griffith

Mark Cunningham, Executive Director of Housing and Dining Services at UC San Diego said, “This is a great achievement that reflects UC San Diego’s broad goal of becoming one of the most sustainable campuses in the country, and it aligns perfectly with the world-renowned research of Dr. Keeling.”

The most significant reduction of energy comes from using natural cooling from ocean breezes instead of mechanical cooling. The effectiveness of the buildings’ shape and arrangement to capture prevailing winds was verified through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze air movement, and wind tunnel testing was used to ensure that the window size and unit design would provide occupant comfort without using air conditioning.

Heating efficiencies are achieved by thermal mass, and by an innovative backwards constructed rainscreen and air barrier exterior wall that reduces heat loss and water vapor infiltration. Any necessary mechanical heating is provided by a localized arrangement of individually controlled radiant panels. Lighting energy demand is largely met by day lighting, and is complemented in public spaces with occupancy-controlled lighting systems. On-site renewable energy comes from a rooftop photovoltaic array. The PV system is the first at UC San Diego to be funded through San Diego Gas and Electric’s innovative lease program.

Water, a scarce resource in Southern California that requires significant energy to transport, is managed with a comprehensive strategy of conservation and reuse. Conservation measures include water efficient landscaping and plumbing; and on-site wastewater recycling, a pilot project for the UC system, provides landscape irrigation water at grade and for the planted roof. Storm water flow into the Pacific Ocean is remediated with a system of landscape bioswales and retention basins that reduce storm water quantity, delay peak water flow, and control flooding in this region of the campus and with the added benefit of reducing erosion of fragile coastal scrub arroyos, a particularly threatened ecosystem.

The c-shaped complex forms a new courtyard community with the existing residences to the east. Photo © Tim Griffith

“We were all challenged by UC San Diego leadership to use the campus as a ‘planet first’ climate research tool, to translate theory into remarkable spaces.” says Martin Poirier, FASLA, the principal designer with Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects. “They say ‘it never rains in southern California’, but when it does, it is torrential. Instead of flowing through a pipe to the ocean, particulate-laden storm water run-off is filtered through the landscape. This cleansing process is made visible as beautiful, ephemeral streams on the site.”

The buildings provide housing for 510 students, and are constructed with highly crafted, cast-in-place concrete that is left exposed inside and out. They reinterpret the original 1960s campus architecture, which features repetitive sun control elements and a color palette tied to San Diego’s coastal climate. Industrial fiberglass grating was cleverly used for sunshades and railings for its durability in marine environments, and because it does not contribute to solar heat gain. The material selections carry the long-term benefit of lower maintenance and longer replacement intervals, resulting in reduced costs and associated energy for the school.

Since opening in 2011, the project has been recognized with an Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for its water conservation and treatment systems, and was named Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association.

The Platinum certification of the Charles David Keeling Apartments is the result of a holistic design process that included:

Client: University of California, San Diego
Architect: KieranTimberlake
Construction Manager: Swinerton Builders
Landscape Architect: Spurlock Poirier
Structural Engineer: John A. Martin & Associates
Electrical Engineer: Sparling
Mechanical, Plumbing & Fire Protection: IBE Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer: Nasland Engineering
Environmental Consultant: Atelier Ten
Lighting Consultant: Candela
Cost Estimating: International Consultants, Inc.
Specifications Consultant: Technical Resources Consultant Inc. (TRC)

View looking east through the Pavilion's 23-foot high glass walls. Photo © Daniel Cox/KieranTimberlake

In a ceremony yesterday evening at The James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, museum officials dedicated The Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion, an elegant, all-glass structure extending into the north side of the Museum’s Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden.

Founded in 1989, the museum occupies the site of the former Bucks County Prison, built in 1884 and designed by Addison Hutton. Although much of the prison was torn down in 1986, remnants of the old stone building are incorporated into the museum, including three massive 23-foot tall fieldstone prison walls. Designed by the architecture firm KieranTimberlake, and constructed by Adams-Bickel Associates, Inc., the Event Pavilion demonstrates a unique and ambitious use of structural glass panels, allowing seamless views to and from the interior of the museum toward the magnificent former prison walls that encompass the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden.

Michener Art Museum Director/CEO Bruce Katsiff expressed his joy at working with so many generous donors who were inspired by the eloquent design and masterful vision of KieranTimberlake. “This has been the most rewarding new building experience in my 40-year career as a museum director and arts administrator,” he said.

View from the west terrace of the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden. Photo © Daniel Cox/KieranTimberlake

James Timberlake, lead design partner for the project, said, “From the very beginning we thought that to truly celebrate the museum wall, and make the landscape more useful, a modest, transparent jewel box should be inserted in the garden. This singular act now brings this very special stone wall, which defines the museum, directly into the experience of the museum visitor.”

Glass walls and pivoting door with 23-foot former prison wall beyond. Photo © Daniel Cox/KieranTimberlake

The 23-foot glass panels used in the Event Pavilion exceed United States standards of glass production in terms of size and weight. They are among the largest self-supporting insulated glass units worldwide, and potentially the largest in the United States. Supplied by Roschmann Group in Gersthofen, Germany, each glass panel consists of five layers, measures 5’ x 7” x 23’ 6” and weighs approximately 3,350 pounds. A highly specialized, custom designed suction device developed by Roschmann was used by the contractors to lift the glass into place.

KieranTimberlake’s location for the Event Pavilion preserves the existing terrace and allows for passage through the museum’s Sculpture Garden. “The wisdom of this scheme is that the Pavilion remains accessible both from the indoor galleries and through the outdoor Sculpture Garden, allowing multiple museum programs to function simultaneously and its highly ambitious glass construction creates a powerful architectural statement that adds significantly to the museum’s physical identity,” Katsiff added.

Plan, Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion. © KieranTimberlake

The Sculpture Garden now contains two terraces to the east and west of the Pavilion, accessed through pivoting doors. In order to create a more dramatic entrance sequence, the entire garden platform was raised 18” to eliminate the need for ramps or stairs leading to the new building, and is paved with a combination of concrete, river rocks, and recycled limestone.

The design of the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion is the result of a holistic design process that included:

Client: James A. Michener Art Museum
Architect: KieranTimberlake
Structural Engineer: CVM Engineers
M/P/E/FP: Bruce Brooks & Associates
Civil Engineer: Carroll Engineering Corporation
Landscape Architect: OLIN
Lighting Designer: Sean O'Connor Lighting, Inc.
AV/Acoustics: Metropolitan Acoustics, LLC
Curtainwall Consultant: Dewhurst MacFarlane
General Contractor: Adams-Bickel Associates, Inc.

About the James A. Michener Art Museum
The James A. Michener Art Museum is an independent, non-profit institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania region. In addition to hosting a changing schedule of exhibitions from around the country, the Museum is home to the largest public collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings. The Museum offers a diverse program of educational activities that seek to develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. The Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Photo © Daniel Cox/KieranTimberlake

Sidwell Friends Meeting House, photo ©Michael Moran/OTTO

The Quaker Meeting House at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC is featured in the March/April 2012 issue of GreenSource Magazine. This renovation of a non-descript 1950s gymnasium into a Quaker Meeting House and Arts Center addresses three fundamental challenges; transformation of the vast pedestrian space of the gym into a contemplative space for worship, enhancement of overall campus planning objectives, and the establishment of a welcoming and symbolically important front door to the campus. It is the most recently completed project envisioned in a 2001 master plan by KieranTimberlake for Sidwell Friends School, which outlines a phased transformation of the disparate buildings on two campuses into a physical manifestation of the school's values, founded in the Quaker principle of environmental stewardship.

From the archives:

Nadav Malin, "Academic Achievement: A school expansion in our nation's capitol introduces a wetland to a dense urban site." GreenSource, July 2007.

Aric Chen, "Teaching Tools: The Sidwell Friends School is one of a string of educational buildings designed by KieranTimberlake that merge instruction, sustainability, and behavior modification." Metropolis, July 2007.

Illustrative Plan, Master Plan for the Central Delaware

The American Institute of Architects announced this week that the Master Plan for the Central Delaware has received national acclaim with a 2012 Institute Honor Award for Regional & Urban Design. This master plan transforms six miles of the Delaware River waterfront in Center City Philadelphia, based on the Civic Vision which was prepared through an extensive public engagement planning process. The goal of the plan is to provide a practical implementation strategy for the phasing and funding of public realm enhancements to the waterfront, including the locations of parks, a variety of waterfront trails, and connections to existing upland neighborhoods. Specific zoning recommendations to shape private development as well as design guidelines for the public spaces are integral components of this project.

Congratulations to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and the consulting team: Cooper Robertson & Partners (Team Leader and Urban Designer), KieranTimberlake (Architecture and Sustainability), OLIN (Landscape Architect),  HR&A (Economics), Parsons Brinckerhoff (Transportation), Hurley Franks & Associates (Outreach), Urban Affairs Coalition (Wealth-Building), Toni L. Griffin (Waterfront Policy Advisor), KBE (Activation Programming), KS Engineers (Civil Engineer), CH Planning (Planning), BlankRome (Land Use Counsel), Kelly/Maiello (Supporting Architect), Emily Cooperman, Ph.D. (Historic Resources), Katherine Woodhouse-Beyer Ph.D. (Archeological Resources), Davis Langdon (Cost Estimator), Brooklyn Digital Foundry (Renderer).

Our new book KieranTimberlake: Inquiry has been selected as one of Phil Patton’s favorite books of 2011! Patton writes about design and cars for The New York Times. View the list here, and take a look inside the book here.