INTERPRETATIONS -----
INTERPRETATIONS -----
ECO Social
Creating a new strategy for the community of san jose to reconfigure sustainability towards people and giving them a livable environment.They have a series of ambitious goals set over 15 years. Ultimately it was replaced by the Climat Smart San Jose. The adoption of this act in the last few years has made it one of the first major cities taking strides towards sustainability in lowered emission, greater energy efficiency, and clean water. The most ambitious can be seen in a pamphlet called “Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030,” which focuses on
This is eco social, because this is also rooted in creating clean jobs and infrastructure that will improve the quality of life for the residents. This is all in service to the idea that “sustainable cities are happier and healthier places to live and work.”
ECO CENTRIC:
APPLE PARK
The 175 acre building designed by Norman Foster associates reinvented the meaning of a corporate headquarters. The building goes by several names, including the ring, Apple Park one, and a groundscaper, but it remains the largest building on the west coast that is entirely powered by renewable energy (at 17 MW of onsite power) and is naturally ventilated to reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The surrounding area is forested by almost 10,000 drought resistant trees, to lower water consumption in the area, which is facing continual threats of water shortages.
All the while, the facility houses over 12,000 employees of the company and maintains one of the cornerstones of the Silicon Valley.
San Jose Environmental Innovation Center:
ECO Technical
A sustainable picture of adaptive reuse, the ESD {environmental services Department) made a municipal storage building into a clean tech startup center known as the EIC. It has won multiple awards including the 2015 site design award and special waste management from various associations. Promotes innovation through its own green building techniques, and the innovative techniques they used to make the building green.
“Integral Group provided mechanical and plumbing design services for the project. We helped the EIC significantly reduce its water consumption by designing a system that uses filtration and UV disinfection to produce gray water for landscape irrigation. Low-flow faucets and waterless urinals also decrease water consumption in the building. The EIC also installed composting toilets—the first ever in a California office building—which use foam as their flushing agent and thus omit the wastewater treatment process entirely.”
Companies currently at the facility:
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
Prospect Silicon Valley
Green Lung office Complex
ECO Aesthetic
A newly proposed highrise in the downtown area is poised to be the first carbon neutral workplace in the area of San Jose, with over 1.2M sqft in total space that will provide areas for offices, retail and restaurants. It was developed by several megadevelopers and real estate veterans. It wants to display the economic strength of silicon valley as well as the the ecological benefits of the new system that San Jose is going for to become a carbon neutral city.
The building itself is green, but the visual appeal of the building as a forest within the city is symbolic of those efforts made by the city to become exemplary in its sustainability efforts.
SANTA TERESA COUNTY PARK ECO MEDICAL
While the city is well known for its technological advancements and its reshaping of the economy of California, the recreation of the people there requires a break from the urban landscape. Thankfully, the natural parks around San Jose provide the natural air and land free from the density of Santa Clara.
Santa Teresa County Park has over 17 miles of trails ain its massive 1,673 acre area right above the Almaden. It provides a perfect exploration space for residents or tourists seeking a quiet secluded area to surround themselves with natural beauty.
PERALTA ADOBE HOUSE
ECO CULTURAL
This oldest standing building in Santa Clara county was once home to one of the founders of the city, Luis Maria Peralta. It was made out of vernacular building techniques of adobe and is a symbol of the founder’s heritage as a mexican and the values of the city from the 18th century. It is a simple family home that centers on a bedroom and living room with a classic adobe kitchen and oven. The building was made out of the local materials available to guarantee the shelter provided can be used efficiently, and stands as a monument to the green building techniques that can still be used by the people of San Jose while still being in tune wit the culture.