Snowline Joint Unified School District, Central Services Complex

Phelan, California

Firm

PCH Architects, LLP

Client

Snowline Joint Unified School District

Area

53,643 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$8,000,000

Completion Date

09/2009

In an effort to promote district efficiency, Snowline Joint Unified School District plans to consolidate its business, printing, food-service and warehouse operations to one centralized location, while promoting environmentally conscious design through LEED principles.
The site is in a hot, arid desert community with high diurnal temperature swings, infrequent rain, flash-flood conditions and restrictive environmental standards for protecting indigenous plant and animal life.
The undeveloped 26-acre sloping site is stepped to minimize grading, reduce the scale of larger buildings, and provide increased visual control. Water conservation is achieved by diverting stormwater runoff from the street and central courtyard to an on-site bio-swale and tree-wells. Surplus runoff is permitted to flow at a controlled rate to the environmentally sensitive arroyo beyond the site.
The main warehouse/kitchen building is constructed with 8-inch-thick concrete walls to help moderate extreme temperature conditions. Filtered daylighting is provided to all occupied spaces. Cool roofs, low-emission-VOC materials, infrastructure for future photovoltaic panels on the large warehouse roof, and high-efficiency mechanical systems combine to complete the total sustainable solution.