FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LACCD PROJECT IS FIRST IN U.S. TO RECEIVE BREEAM CERTIFICATION
The historic Van de Kamp bakery, soon to be the site of a new satellite campus for the Los Angeles Community College District, earns European sustainability rating
Dec. 2, 2005 (LOS ANGELES) - The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) announced today that the historic Van de Kamp Bakery Building, which will become the Northeast Center of Los Angeles City College, is the first construction conversion project in the United States to achieve a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating.
BREEAM seeks to minimize the adverse effects of new buildings on the environment while promoting healthy indoor conditions for the occupants. The environmental impacts of a new building, such as energy use, waste disposal transportation concerns and water usage, are assessed at the design stage.
Two UK-based BREEAM assessors, Amy Garrod and Lionel Delorme, attended the 2005 LACCD Sustainability Conference on Friday, Dec. 2, 2005 to present the award to LACCD.
"This is the first building in the US to be assessed under the BREEAM system," said Delorme. "It recognizes LACCD's forward-thinking policies and its efforts to create a community centric building with reduced environmental impacts and increased comfort for its students."
"LACCD has done an excellent job of engaging the local community to shape the college's design, integrating renewables, and using of sustainable materials," said Garrod, who assessed the building. "The adaptive reuse of the existing bakery building retains the historical value of the site. The building's design includes photovoltaic panels, high energy efficiency, and green building education stations, all of which contributes to the building's BREEAM rating."
The Van de Kamp building will also be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified standards. LEED Green Building Rating System, similar to the UK's BREEAM, is the U.S. standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings.
"By being the first in the world to seek both BREEAM and LEED credentials, LACCD continues to be a leader in the field of sustainable development," said Larry H. Eisenberg, LACCD's executive director of Facilities Planning and Development. "Our colleges serve one of the most diverse populations in the world and it is our commitment to teach them that to think sustainable, we must think global."
Background:
The Los Angeles Community College District is undertaking the largest sustainable building program in the United States. Funded by Propositions A and AA, which provide $2.2 billion in voter-approved funds, the District has shown strong leadership in its adoption of sustainable design principles. LACCD has set the goal to self produce 25 percent of its energy needs with 10 percent utilizing photovoltaic cells. For more information, visit the website at www.PropositionA.org.
Additional Research:
Building Research Establishment (BRE) www.bre.co.uk
BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) www.breeam.org
US Green Building Council (USGBC) www.usgbc.org
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) www.usgbc.org/LEED
Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) www.laccd.org
Proposition A/AA bond construction information www.PropositionA.org
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MEDIA CONTACT: Chelsea Shure, MWW Group (213) 486-6560x317, cell: (310) 428-7302
Los Angeles Community Colleges
770 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90017