Awarded LEED® Gold, the UC Merced Central Plant is the heart of the University's larger sustainability strategy. In addition to providing power and water for the University’s first-phase buildings, it serves as a "living laboratory" for environmental science students.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 2005
Site Area: 20,000 ft²
Project Area: 41,000 ft²
Building Height: 75 ft
Number of Stories: 3

Project Awards

2009 • Chicago Athenaeum • Green Good Design Award
2007 • AIA • National Honor Award for Architecture
2007 • Chicago Athenaeum • Architecture Honor Award
2007 • Structural Engineers Association of Northern California • Award of Merit: Sustainable Design
2007 • Sustainable Buildings Industry Council • Beyond Green High Performance Building Award
2006 • AIA - California Council • Honor Award
2006 • AIA - San Francisco Chapter • Excellence in Architecture Award

The 41,000 sf complex consists of three buildings: a three-story plant that houses most of the campus’s power and infrastructure operations, a telecommunications hub, and a two-million-gallon thermal energy storage tank (TES). The TES tank is one of the main efficiency strategies for the Central Plant, contributing to campus energy savings of 30-50%.

The Central Plant Complex also facilitates academic discourse around climate change. The interior processes of the plant remain visible so that it functions as a pedagogical tool. Glass ribbon wraps around the building, allowing views into the plant while also acting as a light shelf. A thin veil of perforated metal clads the plant and masks the opaque areas of the building to permit light and views.

Since the campus opened in 2005, the Central Plant Complex, in combination with other energy-efficient buildings on campus, have provided 30-50% energy savings per year. Furthermore, because the University is able to buy cheaper, non-peak power, the Central Plant has saved the campus up to 75% in energy costs. Due to the benefits gained by other campus buildings serviced by the Central Plant Complex, each of those buildings will receive ten prototype points towards LEED®-certification.

Select LEED®-certification features include:

• 77% of the construction waste was diverted from landfills.
  
• 50% of materials used contain recycled content.
  
• Materials were selected with consideration to their extraction and manufacturing proximity to the project site.
  
• A high level of indoor air quality was assured through installation of low-emitting materials and phased construction (e.g., odorous materials installed prior to absorbent materials).