Submitted by HMC Architects

As the Rancho Cucamonga region’s top-rated high-performance building, this 14,200-sq-ft LEED platinum certified demonstration building is dedicated to educating the community in sustainable living practices. The project is a public initiative demonstrating how inviting and engaging architecture can foster community awareness and create functional spaces for community forums, school field trips, lectures, public tours and vendor exhibits showcasing environmentally friendly products.

A key element of the building design was the boomerang-shape of the building. A major component of the “boomerang” is the north facing glass wall that runs along the perimeter of the interior courtyard. Besides providing unique aesthetics, the continuous glass curtain wall opened the space, maximizing views and allowing daylight to reach into the building, reducing dependency on artificial light.

To create the “boomerang” of the building, building and construction systems supplier Kawneer of Norcross, GA, produced a custom version of its 1600 Wall System 1 Curtain Wall. The curtain wall begins at a slope of 70 degrees and at the pivot point of the radius around the building the length transitions to a perpendicular 90-degree vertical wall.

Energy efficiency and thermal performance were key considerations in the design of the building and selection of products. Not many LEED buildings are designed to be a resource center for consumers, builders, and the public. To maintain the project’s vision of “the edge of what we know” and stay current with the most recent technologies, the project was constantly evolving and design aspects would frequently adapt to new ideas. This required solutions that were durable and could handle high traffic and visitor wear and tear.

The design strives to go beyond the norm of sustainable buildings as merely machines of green technologies by combining architectural and ecological design principles as equal forces in the formation of the building. The building is sculpted by the forces of nature, and respects the solar and wind conditions of the local climate.

Project Team

Developer/Owner: Cucamonga Valley Water District, Rancho Cucamonga
General Contractor: Turner Construction Co., San Diego
Architect: HMC Architects, Ontario
Civil Engineer: RHA Engineers, Riverside
Structural Engineer: R.M. Byrd and Associates, Ontario
MEP Engineer: DCGA Engineers, Ontario
Subcontractors: D/K Mechanical Contractors, Anaheim; DTS Engineering, Long Beach; Kone Inc., Cerritos; Martin Integrated Systems, Orange; Insulated Concrete Walls, Tucson, Ariz.; Rossi Concrete, Temecula