April 24, 2013 – The new Recreation Center at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), has exceeded expectations by achieving LEED Gold certification.

Cannon collaborated with Cannon Design, a full-service architecture, engineering, and interior design firm, to complete the expansion and renovation of the Recreation Center in July 2012. Cannon provided the civil and surveying for the project, while Cannon Design provided its expertise in areas of design and sustainable services. Having been originally designed to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification, the renovations have outperformed expectations. Design elements include shaded glazing to flood the interior with natural light, as well as an indirect-direct evaporation-cooling-air-handling system designed to take advantage of San Luis Obispo’s mild, dry climate.

In an effort to encourage and facilitate development of sustainable buildings in our communities, the U.S. Green Building Council designed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. A LEED-certified building is intended to lower operating costs and increase asset value, reduce waste and harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve energy and water. Certification is granted on the premise of satisfying prerequisites in five environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

Through strategic planning and execution, Cannon played an integral part in the design and construction of the Cal Poly Recreation Center, satisfying all categories leading to LEED Gold certification. The project is Cannon’s second Gold Rating project for Cal Poly, following the 2010 completion of Poly Canyon Village.

The project team successfully incorporated green-building strategies, evident in their accumulation of LEED credits. Contributions to the certification include the installed irrigation systems designed to reduce potable water consumption by 51.3%. The renovation also utilized recycled materials; specifically, 22.66% of the total building material content was recycled.

Cannon is proud to have participated in this project with the help of Cannon Design, providing Cal Poly with a state-of-the-art Recreation Center that meets increasing demand for recreation facilities and promotes sustainability.