 Siegel and Strain has won various architecture awards for their projects. It should come as no surprise that their team is composed of all LEED certified architects. Siegel & Strain Architects is an innovative design firm that EnviroCitizen.org discovered with a notable commitment to environmentally sustainable design. The firm has won more than forty design awards since the early 1990s for projects that range from institutional and historic to housing and residential. Their latest product has generated attention for being one of the few LEED platinum projects in the country, meaning that the building was done sustainably from beginning to end so that occupancy can also be made sustainable.
The LEED Platinum-targeted Portola Valley Town Center in Portola Valley, California, contains a library, community center and town hall. Siegel & Strain Architects helped to develop the design for the facility, which replaced a seismically unsafe complex, through a collaborative process with high community involvement. They carefully integrated the community to create a complex that could withstand the infamous California earthquakes with green practices.
Sustainability was a priority in the project. Every detail was carefully thought through. The architects reduced the carbon footprint by 20% compared to the previous town center and clustered the operational, administrative and public spaces together in one corner of the site; allowing them to preserve existing ancient redwood groves and oak savanna while restoring continuity between open spaces. The old complex was deconstructed and many materials were reused, such as beams, paneling, countertops and structural fill. Exterior cladding and louvers on the new building are made from salvaged wood and the wood flooring is local eucalyptus. These are all sustainable materials that the architects wanted to use in their final product.
There were other details that the architects took into account to create their latest feat. Careful building orientation, in addition to daylighting (making use of the sun’s position to light up space), natural ventilation, sunshades and thermal mass all reduced overall energy use and allowed for smaller mechanical systems. A 76-kilowatt photovoltaic system (solar powered) supplies 40% of the building's electricity.
From its Emeryville office, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, EnviroCitizen.org has found that Siegel & Strain provides excellent building design and master planning services to a diverse client base on a wide range of civic, educational and residential projects. Companies like Siegel and Strain are helping us achieve a brighter future and a greener tomorrow.
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