The facilities and maintenance buildings on most college campuses are often overlooked as a place where sustainable design can have an impact. As SMCCD looked to replace/expand old maintenance facilities on the Cañada College campus, this project provided an opportunity to reinforce the district’s commitment to campus greening. These simple utilitarian structures serve as a home base for district facilities staff responsible for the operation and maintenance of the campus grounds and buildings. It seemed like a natural starting place to promote energy efficiency and environmentally friendly maintenance practices. This project has achieved LEED Gold certification.

The inadequate and disparate Maintenance and Operations spaces scattered across campus made maintenance difficult over the past forty years. Operational inefficiency coupled with health and safety code violations called for the building of a new modern maintenance center for each campus. The collaborative design process resulted in an efficient layout that consolidates all maintenance, custodial and storage spaces. Sited to maximize daylighting, views and access, both facilities minimize interference with students and reduces driving. The redirection of storm water runoff helps protect the ecosystem inhabiting the nearby creeks, and the sites’ contaminated soils were remediated prior the buildings’ construction.