Opal Cliffs

Opal Cliffs

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Location:  Capitola, CA

Year:  Completed in 2012

Budget: $2,100,000

 

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Weston Miles Architects teamed up with Pencon Construction to test out a smaller, more efficient replacement for portables. Working with Soquel Union School District, WMA and Pencon, using a Lease/leaseback approach, recently finished construction on the new school site.

New Construction for Opal Cliffs includes two Classrooms, two rooms for the Campus Kids Connection Program, and a 840 SF SUESD Admin room. Both the site and the buildings were designed with sustainability in mind. The buildings are constructed using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) which not only provide protection against strong winds and earthquakes, but also help the building maintain a steady temperature reducing the need for excessive air-conditioning or heating. The roofs were designed with the possibility to hold solar panels in the future. The site utilizes indigenous plants and strategically placed bio-swales which cut down irrigation requirements and diverts surface runoff by naturally percolating into the ground. HVAC units were reduced to one VRV system to supply both buildings due to better insulation and proper glazing—saving money in both the short and long run.