It all began with a site. The site is typical of many building sites within the boundaries of SSCAFCA: sparsely covered with native vegetation, susceptible to erosion from runoff, with gentle variations in topography. 

After an exhaustive selection process, David Stoliker, the Executive Director of SSCAFCA, met with Kris Callori, an architect-principal in the firm of Environmental Dynamics, Inc., which specializes in environmentally sensitive integrated sustainable design and development. As the parties explored each other’s philosophies and discussed SSCAFCA’s programmatic needs, they began to see parallels between the flow of people, information and water.

The first conceptual sketch articulated a vision of people flowing like water through corridors that wind between smoothly rounded masses whose curves create eddying pools and rushing channels as they widen and narrow. The design became a metaphor for the movement of water through an arroyo and the landforms associated with water drainage. The placement of the elements and the shape of the flow followed the contours of the site and the building was sited to capture the spectacular views of the mountains and the Rio Grande, while taking advantage of solar exposure.

In moving from concept to execution, the project leaders never lost sight of their original vision. The final plan retains the strength and harmony of the original vision. Contour lines sketched onto the plan show how the structure flows with the topography of the site. The design thus integrates the building both with its site and with the mission of the organization that inhabits it.

The completed structure comprises 4,700 square feet and adheres to strict energy performance, water conservation and architectural goals. Many of the systems incorporated in the building were selected and designed for a life cycle cost payback of less than twenty years. The building incorporates natural daylighting concepts, recycled and nontoxic materials, motion and light sensors tied into the lighting system, a highly insulated building shell, and economizers fitted on the air handling units. We describe both the principles of performance and conservation embodied in the SSCAFCA building and the techniques used to express them in the following pages.