Comment of the Holcim Awards 2005 Jury for North America
The entry presents not only an ambitious effort to harness the resources of natural energy, but also to collaborate on an interdisciplinary level with specialists from other fields to effectively implement such an ambition. The import of expertise could prove highly beneficial to local industry.
The project successfully demonstrates a sound and integral implementation of state of the art building technologies, such as passive solar buffer collectors, solar shading, natural ventilation, as well as thermal mass for cooling and nighttime purging.
Further potential for savings are introduced through the implementation of waterless urinals, reclaimed water use, and zero degree landscape irrigation. Of equal significance the direct involvement of public stakeholders in funding the project, thus raising the level of collectively vested interest in issues pertaining to sustainable construction.
As a return, the community receives a specimen case study in the skillful deployment of ecologically considerate systems that effectively reduce the ecological footprint of human development.
Low operational costs may even prove a compelling deterrent to future economic risk. The project convincingly combines the pragmatics of providing shelter with the material poetics of place making.