Project Description
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of California San Diego challenged the project team to design a facility that would pay homage to a world-class site and create a sustainable building for environmental stewards of the ocean.
The Southwest Fisheries Building takes advantage of the local microclimate while respecting the ever changing needs of the research scientists. The new facility continues the California-style legacy of an open architectural environment and courtyards encourage interactions among researchers from different disciplines.
This is considered to be a premier project in California aas far as sustainability & design. It was very high profile and there was tremendous scrutiny by the Federal government & the community as well as NOAA. HDR worked with the San Diego Gas & Electric Savings by Design program to determine that the materials on the project contributed significantly to the sustainability of the buiding. Analysis was done by comparing similar building types with similar materials in the California climate.
Shildan provided the terracotta sunshades for this project. Gould Evans stated, “The application of the terracotta louver contributes to providing 69% less cooling required” (69% less cooling energy use than ASHRAE90.1 2004). Terracotta sunshades, green roofs, photo voltaic panels, and a state-of-the-art 528,000 gallon ocean technology tank help this building set a new benchmark in scientific building design. Shildan baguette sunscreens add warmth and the only color to the building in addition to providing strategic shading.