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2004 ASLA Professional Awards

Analysis & Planning Award of Honor

Eco-Effective Design Strategies, University of California, Davis, CA
William McDonough + Partners, Charlottesville, VA
Client: University of California, Davis, Office of Resource Management and Planning

Excellent analysis and attention to environmental factors. . . It's exciting to see the whole system—buildings and their interiors as well as land and climate—being analyzed and incorporated into a master plan. . . Message will be easily understood by all audiences.
2004 Professional Awards Jury Comments

Growth mandated by the state constitution provided the impetus for rethinking the master planning and design of new campus residential neighborhoods at the University of California, Davis. Two significant forces made environmentally responsible planning and development a compelling framework for the community to accommodate nearly 7,000 new students plus supporting faculty and staff in the next decade: the desire of residents to maintain the city's urban village character and high quality of life; and the pressing concerns generated by the statewide energy crisis of 2001.

The quality and abundance of natural resources like sun, wind, and water provided valuable assets for engaging all design and construction disciplines in a substantive dialogue about the interface between site planning and architecture. The team therefore focused on climate and hydrology data, mapping and charting an array of natural factors - insolation, wind, precipitation, heating and cooling days - with the greatest potential impact on sustainable design. (Photo: © William McDonough + Partners.)

Despite the presence of innovative local models of residential development, relatively few examples in Davis use building orientation or other design strategies to create natural ventilation from the cooling "Delta Breeze" phenomenon or to use the abundant solar resources for optimal southern exposure for daylighting, winter heat gain, and photovoltaic arrays. (Photo: © William McDonough + Partners.)

Building upon conventional base cases and current best practices, the project seeks to identify the multiplier effects and anticipate the benefits resulting from integrated strategies in both the present and the near-term future. (Photo: © William McDonough + Partners.)

By studying the effects of different building typologies and organization, the project seeks to use the development patterns of buildings, the street, and space to optimize local climate conditions throughout the year. (Photo: © William McDonough + Partners.)

Detailed cost/benefit analyses of individual materials, strategies, and systems shaped a broader framework that viewed specifications for vegetation, geothermal systems, constructed wetlands, or wall structures as part of larger interdependent systems. This abstract, bottom-up, small-to-large scale method of inquiry enabled the team to gain a deeper understanding of how the new neighborhoods' water, energy, site, and building systems relate to each other. (Photo: © William McDonough + Partners.)

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