Chabot Community College Instructional Office Building

Committed to building a sustainable future, the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District directed that the new Instructional Office Building (IOB) for Chabot Community College be designed and constructed with a low impact on the environment. The building owner worked with LPA to achieve this goal by designing the 36,000-square-foot office building to optimize energy performance.

Using EPA’s Target Finder, the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and LPA were able to set performance goals to guide them in the design phase. Target Finder further allowed the team to convey the expected performance of the building in assessable results. The design achieved a 69 percent energy reduction compared to an average office building, thus receiving a rating of 99 (out of 100).

Features that make the Chabot Community College Instructional Office Building sustainable and energy-efficient include: a naturally ventilated two-story lobby, motion sensor lighting systems, natural light for 95 percent of occupied spaces, and a reflective roof that reduces heat gain. The building also has air handling units (AHUs) with Demand Ventilation Controls. Fresh air requirements are based on occupancy levels. This flexibility offers the opportunity to minimize the amount of outside air at the AHUs, which in turn saves energy by reducing unit cooling capacity requirements.