Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies - Cupertino, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 18.958 W 122° 02.634
10S E 584717 N 4130353
A LEED building on De Anza College.
Waymark Code: WM5Q6Y
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/01/2009
Views: 9
Opened to students in September 2005, the Kirsch Center is the lead demonstration building for energy innovation and sustainability in the California Community College system. The philosophy of this facility is "a building that teaches about energy, resources and stewardship."
The area of the two-story building is approximately 22,000 gross square feet. This project exemplifies the next generation of educational innovation. Parts of the building are potentially an around-the-clock, 24-7 facility. In addition to high quality classrooms and labs, students can work in self-paced programs at special open study stations throughout the building.
The Kirsch Center meets the requirements of a LEED Silver Certified Sustainable Building as established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Energy Goals
The primary energy design goals for the Kirsch Center include:
Maximize the use of on-site environmental energies.
Minimize the use of “purchased” energy originating exterior to the site.
Assure thermal and visual comfort.
Support the flexibility of use of classroom, laboratory and conference spaces.
Minimize the environmental emissions caused by the manufacture of construction materials, actual construction, and lifetime use of the building.
Other Building Features:
Solar panel roof
Advanced natural ventilation (West Wing)
Raised floor for gentle air distribution and flexibility (East Wing)
Natural daylighting
Orientation and layout for energy efficiency and passive solar benefits
Water conservation and water runoff control
Radiant heating and cooling (West Wing)
Native species landscaping " (
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