Juvenile Facility Awarded LEED Gold Certification

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — A new juvenile justice facility in Alameda County was awarded LEED gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first detention center in the United States to achieve that level of LEED certification.

The facility opened in April and features detention areas, courtrooms, classrooms and recreation space.

The project was built with a design-build partnership with Hensel Phelps/HOK serving as the design-build firm, Vanir/Cornerstone serving as construction manager and Beverly Prior Architects serving as associate architect.

The project received 43 points during the certification process — 39 to 51 points are required for LEED gold certification. The facility received a perfect score in the categories of energy and atmosphere, and innovation and design process.

The facility includes the following sustainable design concepts:

• Water-efficient irrigation technology is expected to reduce water consumption by more than 50 percent, which could save more than 5 million gallons annually.
  
• Waterless urinals and water-efficient plumbing fixtures are expected to reduce water consumption by 41 percent, saving more than 2 million gallons annually.
  
• The building complies with Title 24 requirements (more stringent than national standards), and is nearly 66 percent more efficient than the baseline, saving 500 kW annually.
  
• An 850 kW solar panel array on the rooftop provides more than 60 percent of the building energy demands, more than 1,000 MW annually.
  
• The project contracted to purchase all of the building energy needs equivalent to 2,629 MW from wind generation.
  
• Ninety-three percent of construction waste was recycled and diverted from landfill disposal.
  
• Site grading equipment used 23,800 gallons of bio-diesel fuel, saving 200 tons of CO2.

Officials celebrated the opening of the juvenile justice center with a dedication ceremony and reception that included facility tours and speeches by several stakeholders that were involved with the project.

The $176 million juvenile justice center includes a 360-bed detention center, five courtrooms, and offices for the district attorney, public defender, clerk of the court, sheriff and healthcare personnel.

Located in the hills of San Leandro behind the former juvenile facility, the 379,000-square-foot justice center offers scenic views of the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the facility was designed to also provide inspiring views with several interior and exterior art installations.

Under the guidance of the Alameda County Arts Commission, 24 artists provided artwork for the facility, including large murals and sculptures, and framed, wall-mounted art pieces. In addition, artists will work with youths in the facility to create other public art installations. The artwork was funded by a county ordinance that requires artwork to be incorporated in public buildings.