On Thursday, December 6th, the Tenaya Towers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) were honored at the 2018 Sustainable Innovation Awards. The project, a pair of six-story towers, received a Merit Award in the Energy and Atmosphere category. Hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Los Angeles chapter, the Sustainable Innovation Awards program recognizes projects that demonstrate exemplary performance that goes above and beyond standard rating systems.
Located on UCSB’s campus in Goleta, the Tenaya Towers provide space for student housing, study lounges, recreation rooms, and a market that is open to the school community as well as the public. Totaling 105,000 square feet, the two buildings define a central outdoor plaza. Certified LEED® Platinum, the towers feature natural ventilation, rooftop solar hot water collectors, and greywater use. Sustainable features in the site plan include a stormwater management system with bioswales, bio-retention and mechanical filters to protect adjacent wetlands, and ground cover with drought-tolerant plants.