Smart Growth: Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods

San Joaquin Villages Earns LEED Neighborhood Development GOLD!

With the support of the engineer of record on the San Joaquin Villages (SJV) project (Buro Happold), HDAE completed the LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) application process and is proud to announce that the community has been awarded a GOLD rating by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). This is a great accomplishment for UCSB and continues to show the commitment to sustainability for the division and campus.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is administered by the USGBC. HDAE currently operates eight LEED buildings rated at various levels including Silver (The Club & Guest House), Gold (San Clemente Villages and Anacapa, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Residence Halls), and Platinum ratings for Sierra Madre Villages, San Joaquin Villages and Portola Dining Commons. This Gold rating for the San Joaquin Villages neighborhood is the first LEED ND that the campus has applied for and is also the first LEED ND Gold neighborhood in the UC System.

LEED ND is not just about building efficient or “green buildings”. It takes the buildings into account, but also focuses on “smart growth” strategies such as reducing vehicle miles traveled for community members, and promoting streamlined access to public transportation, bike and pedestrian circulation. Maximizing open space with a landscape design that restores native habitat, preserves wetlands, and provides access to recreation areas also contributed to this award. The LEED ND gold rating recognizes that the “project successfully protects and enhances overall health, natural environment and quality of life of the community.”

SJV and Portola Dining Commons previously received LEED Platinum for the New Construction category, the highest rating, when they were completed in 2017 as well as several awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The buildings optimize energy efficiency, utilize solar thermal for hot water generation, minimize potable water use, and all of the landscape is irrigated with recycled water. Coupled with these sustainable design measures, the entire SJV Neighborhood was designed to maximize the access to public transportation. There are several pedestrian corridors to define the various villages within the complex, ample bike lanes and bike parking, access to rideshare Zipcars, close proximity to bus stops, and with the development of both Sierra Madre Villages and San Joaquin Villages the University and the Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) provided a new Line 28 between UCSB and the Camino Real Marketplace.

Feel free to walk about the SJV Neighborhood and witness for yourself a thoughtfully designed neighborhood that during full occupancy is home to over 2,300 students. Special thanks to all HDAE staff who helped throughout all phases of this project, including our Administrative Services partners in Design & Construction Services, UCSB Energy Services, and Buro Happold sustainability consultants.

For more information about LEED Neighborhood Development, please visit USGBC's website. To learn how HDAE is supporting UCSB on its way to becoming a sustainable community, please visit HDAE's Sustainability webpage.

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