Passive Solar Design: Field Trip to CBD
A field trip to the Congregation Beth David (CBD) on Los Osos Valley Road in SLO is planned for the 2011 Central Coast Bioneers Conference. Similar to last year’s Oak Glen Pavilion trip, this is an exceptional opportunity to experience and learn about the design, construction, and operation of a green building.
Inaugurated in March 2007, CBD is the only LEED certified synagogue in the world. Designed by Ken Haggard and Polly Cooper with Richard Beller as construction manager, CBD is located on a beautiful 120-acre site that presented unusual challenges like strong ocean winds carrying noise from the busy street.
CBD is a massive facility that is entirely passive, meaning it has no centralized mechanical system. In the last two years, CBD has had an 82% energy saving. The sun heats the water in twelve large water tanks surrounding the building and thereby heating the facility. The building’s temperature remains consistent by way of an automated system that opens and closes windows as needed. A central courtyard allows the building to breathe and air to circulate.
“The system of heating and cooling makes biological sense,” Haggard explained. “Like the human body, if it has enough water, the heating and cooling of the system is slow and regulated.”
As an “integrative solution,” CBD proves Ken Haggard’s status as a pioneer in green architecture. The trip is a rare chance to be at the actual site of a green building, in a small group setting, and ask the architects and construction contractor about the process.
