2004 Best of Awards - ENR Southwest | McGraw-Hill Construction

Arizona Best of 2004
Southwest Contractor Best of 2004 Green Building Under $5 million
Yavapai College Agri
Business and Science Center
The new Yavapai College Agri
Business and Science Center is literally
tied to the land. The 15,000-sq.-ft.
“green” construction project utilizes the
earth as the heating and cooling system.
Subcontractors drilled 30 wells down to a
natural aquifer at 300 ft., where the water
stays a constant 68 degrees year round.
A closed system of rubber hoses circulates
the water through the aquifer and into
the building, where tubes in the flooring
create radiant heating and cooling, depending
on the season. The heat exchange system
is just one component of the project.
The block is designed to have 1/6 the
web area of a traditional two-cell block,
so the amount of thermal bridging is
greatly reduced. The building is capped
off with 2 x 6 wood trusses manufactured
from a certified sustainable wood.
Recycled components include ceramic
tile made from recycled glass, and all
of the case work is using wheat board, a
wood like substance manufactured from
wheat straw. The building also limits
VOCs by not using carpet.
A long, tall wall that serves as a hallway
actually provides passive solar heating, with
Owner: Yavapai College
Architect: DLR Group/Taylor Architects
General Contractor: Shrader & Martinez
MPE Engineers: DLR Group
Structural Engineer: DLR Group
Civil Engineer: Kelley Wise Engineering
Landscape Architecture: DLR Group
40 Southwest Contractor 12/2004
(PHOTOS COURTESY OF DLR GROUP)
the two-story hallway also functioning as a
way to vent hot air. An automatic energy
control system opens and closes clerestory
windows as the temperature changes.