Over the many years my wife and I have owned our Redwood City house, we’ve done what we can to increase its efficiency, both to reduce our utility bills and to make it a more comfortable place in which to live. It took several major projects to get it to where it is today, and during each I found myself wishing we could have just demolished the entire house and started from scratch. I’m happy with the result, but as I watch some of the projects being built around the city — projects designed from the ground up with efficiency in mind and tailor-made for the activities that will take place in them — I can’t help but think about what could have been with our Redwood City house.
Two Redwood City projects in particular stand out as well-designed for both efficiency and purpose: the city’s soon-to-be-finished Veterans Memorial Senior Center and the county’s latest office building, 500 County Center. I was fortunate to be able to attend the recent ribbon-cutting for the latter. Having watched the evolution of its design and the construction process from start to finish, and now having spent time inside the building, it appears that many of the design choices the county made are really paying off.
Multiple speakers at the ribbon-cutting stated that this new five-story office building is “the greenest civic building in the United States,” and I can believe it. By employing mass-timber construction for nearly all of the structural elements, and wood for many of the exposed interior surfaces, the building has 70% less embodied carbon compared to a conventional design. As well, the building is designed to be “net zero energy.” Solar panels on the roof and on the nearby parking garages should generate all of the electricity required for the building to operate, although, of course, the building was designed to minimize the need for electricity in the first place. For instance, the building’s many windows are treated and shaded to provide an abundance of natural light while minimizing solar heat gain. And at night, natural ventilation pre-cools the building for the next day, reducing the need to run the building’s HVAC equipment.
The new building at 500 County Center, with its exposed beams, natural wood ceilings and extensive use of wood for many exposed walls, is attractive inside and out. And I have to imagine that it makes for a cozy and comfortable working environment as well.
Although it didn’t take the mass-timber route — its skeleton is made from steel — Redwood City’s new Veterans Memorial Senior Center is similarly taking advantage of the latest in modern design techniques to give the city a low-impact, high-efficiency building.
Just this week I noticed that the building’s large roof is now almost entirely covered in solar panels, providing most if not all of the electrical power the building will require. Also on the roof are solar chimneys, which, heated by sunlight, both expel hot air and draw cooler air in from the ground floor, thereby helping keep the building comfortably cool on all but the hottest of days while circulating fresh air throughout — all without the use of electricity. Solar panels, solar chimneys, cross-ventilation and thermal solar heating should, combined with an abundance of windows that supply natural light to large portions of the building during the day, enable the building to reach its goal of “zero net energy.”
A few months ago, I had the privilege of touring the under-construction Veterans Memorial Senior Center and seeing for myself its large theater, indoor sport court, outdoor running track (on the second floor, open to the sky), rooftop gardens, kitchen and indoor/outdoor dining area, wellness room, adaptive PE room, lounge and game room, and multi-purpose rooms that will be usable for a wide range of activities. (Additional fitness facilities, including pools and exercise equipment, will one day be located next door in the city’s new YMCA.) Redwood City’s Veterans Memorial Senior Center will undoubtedly be a wonderful place to spend time for countless residents on a normal day. On extremely hot days, it will also serve as one of the city’s cooling centers, allowing a variety of folks to get a break from the heat. Finally, plans call for some number of backup batteries to help keep the building functional during the event of a major emergency, thereby enabling the building to serve as an emergency shelter if necessary.
I admit to some envy: I wish my house was efficient and as beautiful as these new buildings are turning out to be. I’ve already rejected the idea of tearing my house down and building anew, and I’m content with my house as it is. However, I’m looking forward to spending time in the city’s new Senior Center in particular, enjoying it for the modern marvel that it will be.
Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.
(1) comment
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Wilson. Although the buildings sound impressive, in the back of my mind are some observations… I would assume if all of us were able to take advantage of someone else’s money, as in taxpayer funds, we’d all renovate/build a home with as many bells and whistles as possible.
You say the new building is the "greenest" civic building in the US but is the building truly green and “net zero energy.”? How much carbon was emitted to obtain the raw materials, manufacture, and transport the solar panels on the roof? How much carbon was emitted to chop down the wood or manufacture the steel and transport various materials to build these structures? How much will it cost to discard the hazardous waste solar panels after they’ve outlived their useful life? I think a question that should be answered is what ROI, if any, when factoring in the cradle-to-grave life of the building? And could we have saved taxpayers 50% or more by erecting a “standard” building with “standard” maintenance costs?
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