Educational Project Experience

Waldorf School of Mendocino County 

Working with Architect Christopher Day, we developed a Master Plan for an existing 4 acre campus, as well as preliminary designs for a new Eurythmy/ Music Hall and AfterCare, New Classroom Building, Early Childhood Education, and Administration Building.  The Master Plan brought together and reshaped a somewhat confused School Layout, while creating new spaces for the various levels of childhood activities.  Completion is scheduled for 2006.

Meadowbrook Waldorf School, East Kingston, RI       

Through an intensive 2 week process led by Architect Christopher Day, we developed a Master Plan for a 28 acre campus, as well as preliminary design for a Lower Grade School and Early Childhood Education.  The forms are shaped by the principles of Anthroposophic Design, and employ two offset U-shaped wings to creating separate courtyards.  Completion is scheduled for Spring 2006.

Shorebird Environmental Learning Center, Berkeley CA         

Shorebird is a showcase of materials and resources for environmental living.  Children, primarily grades K-6, are brought to the Visitor's Center and Outdoor Classroom for classes in natural history, focusing on the Bay Ecology.  The facilities’ materials and technologies include passive and active solar, photovoltaics, strawbale construction, earth plasters, salvaged wood, and recycled glass countertops.  Completion is scheduled for Spring 2004.

East Bay Waldorf School, El Sobrante CA       

The East Bay Waldorf School, in Western Contra Costa County, is a private, K-12 School with an emphasis on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, including living in accord with natural systems.  The Master Plan for a new school campus incorporates a variety of alternative building techniques including strawbale, earthen materials, natural landscaping and native vegetation, water catchment and re-use, and solar energy.  The structures also follow the principles of Anthroposophic Design, including non-rectangular geometry and integration with the surrounding landscape.

Gardening and Craft Structure, East Bay Waldorf School       

The first Phase of the Waldorf School Master Plan includes a 1500 sf Strawbale Structure housing Gardening and Woodcraft Classrooms.  The structure features exposed salvaged and sustainably harvested wood, and is enclosed with strawbale walls, with natural lime plasters.  The interior floors are poured earth, made from site soils mixed with sand, hemp fibers, psyllium husks, and coated with linseed oil.  An exterior bench is made from cob, a mixture of earth and straw, and recycled rocks were used as exterior paving.  The project was completed in 1999.

Alameda County Waste Management Authority, San Leandro, CA      

To highlight the use of environmentally considered building materials, ACWMA sponsored a competition for a Resourceful Building Showcase.  Our winning design featured a mobile trailer with model living room, kitchen, and office.  The completed structure incorporates over 100 recycled and resource efficient building products.

Fruitvale/ San Antonio Elementary School, Oakland, CA        

The new Fruitvale / San Antonio Elementary School’s program includes utilizing building materials selected for environmental responsibility, durability, and health and safety of the children, including indoor air quality.  As consultants to VBN Architects, we developed material selections that minimize the environmental impacts of those materials throughout the life of the material, considering resource availability, extraction, production, installation, life of use, re-use, and ultimate dispersal.

California Vipassana Center, North Fork, CA   

The California Vipassana Center, a joint venture with Siegel & Strain Architects, is located in the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite National Park.  The project includes a Meditation Pagoda, designed in two phases, with a total of 120 private cells, and a shared Dhamma Hall seating 50.  There will also be structures with smaller meditation halls and classrooms, as well as housing for teachers and for approximately 80 students in Phase I.  The structures feature passive and active solar heating and cooling systems, strawbale construction, natural plasters, straw-clay infill interior walls for acoustics, and natural cork flooring.  The project is currently in Phase I of construction. 

 

other Institutional and Commercial Projects

Community Conservation Center, Berkeley CA           

1200 square foot addition and 600 square foot renovation for Offices and Staff space for Berkeley Recycling Facility.  The structure will also serve as an educational showcase of both available and creative use of recycled content building materials, as well as giving space for local artists to create and display their work on a busy, industrial street.

Urban Ore EcoPark, Berkeley CA        

Urban Ore is moving a recycled materials handling and retail sales facility into an existing 48,000 square foot industrial structure in South Berkeley.  New work includes a broad variety of recycled and salvaged materials, and special exhibit areas are included to highlight the use of those materials. 

Escalante House, Escalante UT           

Escalante House is a new 60 unit community for people with severe environmental illness in South Central Utah.  The design allows for a number of special conditions, as residents may react to a large number of materials and systems that are normally used.  The Master Plan includes design to minimize transfer noxious vapors from service buildings to households, layering households to provide the maximum safety for those with the most severe conditions, and large sections of car-free areas.  Solar heating will be required, as natural gas and propane are problematic; rammed earth will be the predominant building material, and special design will minimize electromagnetic fields.  The original site was found to have insufficient water (city water is unacceptable), and the project is on hold until a new site can be found.

Teaching Intermedia Literacy Tools (TILT), San Francisco CA            

2000 sf commercial Tenant Improvement for a non-profit educational organization employs recycled, salvaged, and environmentally-considered materials, working with a limited budget.  Completion scheduled for Spring 2004.

Third Street AleHouse, Santa Rosa CA

The Third Street AleHouse remodeled an existing restaurant into a Brew Pub.  Wherever possible, existing features were re-used; to avoid use of new flooring materials, the existing concrete slab has a decorative staining Resource efficient measures include of existing, and extending natural daylight into existing structure.  Completed in 1996 (Joint venture with James Gillam, architect).

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, Berkeley CA         

To meet Department of Energy goals to reduce solid waste at National Laboratories, we worked with LBNL to develop Revised Building Master Specifications that incorporate renewable, energy and resource efficient, recycled content, and non-toxic materials.  We also created Waste Management Plans and Forms for tracking construction debris.  (Joint project with Siegel & Strain Architects).

Environmental Protection Agency/ General Services Administration 

From 1997 to 2000, Greg VanMechelen conducted a series of training workshops for facility managers, architects, engineers, construction managers, and purchasing agents at a number of National Laboratories, General Service Administration Agencies, and other Federal and State Agencies throughout the country.  The Workshops focused on green building design, energy use, waste management, and building materials. 

City and County of San Francisco       

In 1996, the Bureaus of Energy Conservation, Waste Management and Architecture hired a team headed by Greg VanMechelen to give information and direction to City Architects on Resource Efficient Building.  We consulted on various buildings for environmental renovation strategies and provided workshops for design, construction, and maintenance staff.

 

Partial Project Listing, Residential

Pacifica Prospects, Pacifica CA           

New Development of 34 zero-energy, natural material houses on approximately 2 acres of 11 acre former quarry site.  The dense development is designed to be virtually car-free; all parking is contained in a partially buried parking garage with small cottages above and around.  The site takes advantage of its hillside location with rainwater catchment creating an internal creek that connects the upper community gardens to a large ampitheater.

Abrams Residence, Cloverdale CA      

With a strong desire to make an energy efficient and environmentally appropriate house, strawbale was chosen for this 2100 sf house.  Loft spaces and high ceilings in the living spaces bring natural light and solar energy to the rear walls, avoiding the client’s furniture.  The house will feature building integrated photovoltaics with a grid inter-tie system, and hot water solar panels for the pool, heating, and domestic water.  Completed 2004.

Knapp-Levin Residence, Redwood Valley CA 

The owners of this project wanted to create an environmental house, with complete off the grid living, which would not compromise on personal comfort.  The 2600 sf Strawbale Residence and accessory buildings incorporate passive and active solar design, composting toilets, salvaged and sustainably harvested wood, and a variety of non-toxic building materials.  Completed 2000.

Sandford-Marshall Residence. El Sobrante, CA          

1700 square foot strawbale residence on steeply sloping 1 acre lot.  The house features passive solar design, hot water solar and photovoltaic panels, strawbale walls with earthen plasters and stabilized earth floors.  The design is based on organic, anthroposophic principles, with the clients’ desire to make the house “as hobbit-like as possible.”  Project is currently on hold.

Mines Residence, Calavares County CA          

Located on a west facing lot with dense woods to the south, this house presents special challenges to designing an energy efficient house.  High clerestory windows capture the maximum amount of sun, which is absorbed by thickened plaster on the north, strawbale walls.  The clients’ low budget and concerns about potential immobility led to a compact design, readily adaptable for accessibility.  Completed 2004.

Deresh Residence, Arlington AZ         

This 2800 sf Residence in the Gila River Valley is designed with passive and active solar heating, cooling towers, strawbale and adobe construction, featuring entirely independent heating, cooling, and water systems.  Project is currently on hold.

Greenleaf Residence, Larkspur CA      

The client for this Residential Addition and Kitchen Remodel has environmental illness, especially to numerous manufactured items.  Project features all products without formaldehyde, natural lighting, and resource efficient materials.  Completed 2002

Janakiraman Residence, Los Gatos CA          

900 sf addition to existing residence, re-using existing 1950’s foundation.  The original house is poorly oriented for passive solar heating and cooling, so the new addition provided a new geometry to take advantage of natural solar cycles.  The house re-uses an existing brick fireplace for thermal mass, and also features FSC certified framing and shingles, bamboo floors, and a durable metal roof.

Muller-Ng Residence, Berkeley CA      

Kitchen Remodel of bungalow featuring energy efficient appliances, and lighting, on-demand hot water, natural linoleum flooring, and cabinets of straw particleboard clad with sustainably harvested wood veneer.  Completed 2000

Kennedy Residence, Berkeley CA       

Kitchen Remodel, Deck Addition, and miscellaneous remodels on 1920’s house.  Includes high efficiency lighting, sustainably harvested wood, and re-used demolition materials into landscaping.  Completed 1998.

2598 Sacramento Street, Berkeley CA 

High density multi-family housing with eight Rowhouses on 8000 square foot site.  Materials include insulating formwork made with recycled polystyrene, and recycled paper honeycomb wall and floor system. 

Busse Lofts, Emeryville CA

45 loft condominium units with Retail Space and parking garage.  Minimized wood use with engineered products and alternate wall systems, including insulated and lightweight concrete, and recycled content finish materials.  Construction pending.

Project Experience

VanMechelen Architects