Judges' Comments

• N/A

Project Data:

Completion Date:     2/15/2014

Square Footage:      43116

Building Use:           Higher Education Classroom Building

Location:                 Indio, California

Project Description:

This three-story building reinforces the urban edge and has been designed with a modular dimension, allowing for flexibility and reconfiguration of educational spaces. The rectangular shape creates straight-forward circulation, with gathering spaces encouraging student interaction. The form benefits from a modest shift at the Center, minimizing the perception of a long corridor and anchoring an atrium housing the primary entry. The atrium houses the primary entry and provides a visual connection between the interior space and the community’s streetscape.

Planning Process:
In 2009, The College of the Desert (COD) finalized a Development Disposition Agreement with the City of Indio. This agreement forged a relationship between COD and The City of Indio, demonstrating how public agencies are creatively adopting the value of education and its relationship to a strong community. The new offsite instructional facility is the first ground-up project within the City of Indio’s revitalization master plan. Additionally, this new instructional facility is part of COD’s outreach strategy to extend educational opportunities into the Eastern Coachella Valley.

Design Process:
The Center is sited along the western edge of the property, reinforcing planning principles of the City of Indio’s urban master plan. The overall building mass is truthful in its form and organized into three rectangular volumes, supporting efficient program organization and clear internal circulation. Balancing the scale of the three building volumes along the street edge was critical in order to provide clarity and an intuitive understanding of how the students and community can engage with the new Education Center.

-Atrium, volume 1: primary entry and visual connection between the interior circulation space and the
community’s activity along the streetscape.

-Classrooms, volume 2: the building form is a reflection of the functional internal space with articulated
fenestrations for daylight.

-Retail & Classroom, volume 3: educational spaces positioned above a full glazed retail space on the first floor,
which the community.

Providing ample daylight within each instructional space is vital to the success of the educational environment. Likewise providing framed views of the surrounding community connects the student with a larger consciousness of place while learning as an individual.

Introducing retail space on the first floor was a city requirement, so it has been located adjacent to the atrium in order to create synergy between the students and retailers. In addition, the Education Center has a multipurpose space on the first floor that is also available for community use.

Sustainability:
The driving design principal of connecting students with the community and reinforcing the urban edge created a north to south building axis that is not optimum for passive design strategies. Therefore, the design team successfully leveraged a set of sustainable design strategies in order to meet the project’s established building performance goals.

-Energy performance is 22% better than baseline, due to a robust building envelope, ample daylighting, hybrid
ventilation in the atrium, 20% reduction in lighting power density, and efficient mechanical system with enthalpy
wheels.

-Building use water reduction was reduced by 45% from the baseline, through a collaborative effort with COD’s
maintenance and operations group.

-100% of stormwater is treated with bio-swales and stored onsite underneath the parking lot. The stormwater
will then be released back to groundwater.

-Landscape design yielded a 60% reduction in irrigation water, while supplying an appropriate desert planting
scheme that connects with the context and City of Indio’s master plan palate.

The team used early conceptual analysis tools and whole building simulation throughout the design process, which influenced design decisions and strategies. The Education Center received LEED Silver certification, successfully participated in IID Energy Efficiency program, and reported its EUI to the AIA 2030 Commitment.

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

Download