The Caltech Hameetman Center has reinvigorated campus life by transforming a once underused area into a central social hub for the Caltech community. The LEED Gold certified center provides a bookstore, café and lounge, multi-purpose lecture hall, music rehearsal hall, club rooms, and a large outdoor patio which engages and connects the center of campus radially.
This climate responsive project has an energy usage intensity (EUI) of 5.26 kilowatt hours per square foot each year, which is 86% better than national average for a higher education university building. To achieve this highly efficient design, numerous sustainability components related to energy efficiency, daylighting, and passive design were taken into consideration. Lastly, salvaging and adaptively re-using the original student center basement helped to conserve resources and lower the total embodied carbon of the project.
Sustainability Highlights:
Passive Design
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Shadow-box windows reduce solar heat-gain
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Light-tone walls and roof reduce heat-island effect
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Shade fins installed on the west elevation
Active Design
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238 solar panels, rated at 88 kW-DC saves the equivalent of 61.5 cubic metric tons of CO2 per year
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All electric building, no gas
Conservation
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The project was planned strategically to minimize the area of site redevelopment, reaching only a few feet beyond the building footprint
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The entire basement of the original student center was salvaged and adaptively re-used
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Stormwater run-off successfully managed and treated through a dry-well system at the south end of the site
Well-Being
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The building provides ample shaded area for respite from the harsh California sun
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Full height glazing on the first and second floors provide abundant natural light; an open stairwell allows suffusion of daylight in the basement
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Openings on the second floor provide framed views of rich campus landscape and mountains to the north
The high-performing center is now fully integrated into the campus as a space for gathering and exchange. Institute leadership have proclaimed it as "the building that should have always been there".