Cupertino-based De Anza College's Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies recently was awarded a first-place "Livable Buildings Awards" for its "exceptional performance in occupant satisfaction, resource efficiency, and overall design" from U.C. Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment. The building (LEED certified, of course) and its management practices brim with touchy-feely, enviro-friendly goodness: soft colors chosen both for atmosphere and the ability to "bounce light around"; use of window placement and trees for climate control; 50% waste recycling practices; and a pesticide ban among others. The Kirsch Center's executive director gives special mention to the building's abundance of natural lighting, citing a study that found students improved their English and math scores by 15%-22% when taking tests in natural daylight. That's one way inflate the ol' GPA.
· DE ANZA BUILDING EARNS MAJOR PRIZE [San Jose Mercury]
· De Anza College Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies [website]
[Image courtesy DeAnza College]