It’s Gold Nugget season again, and this year, Studio E Architects has staked a claim on several awards. Last week, we highlighted Brisas de Paz – winner of an Award of Merit for “Best Affordable Project — under 30 du/acre”. Today, we’re gonna party like it’s 1849 – as we are very happy to announce that UC Davis West Village has received two awards in the 50th-annual Gold Nugget Awards: an Award of Merit for category 27 – “Best Community Site Plan”, and a Judge’s Special Award of Excellence.
Aerial view across the Village Square, UC Davis West Village. Photo: Jeff Peters, Vantage Point Photography
The greater West Village Plan is based on three fundamental values: community, openness, and environmental responsiveness. The development is centered on our work at West Village Square – an open-air “living room” defined by seven buildings that include 123-units of student and staff housing, ground level retail space, and a large recreation center for community residents.
Mixed-Use Buildings at West Village Square, UC Davis West Village. Jeff Peters, Vantage Point Photography
Taken together, the buildings form the heart of the nation’s largest zero-net energy community; the development’s energy needs are designed to be met entirely with energy generated on-site. Individually, the buildings at West Village Square were strategically-designed to lower energy needs with the best energy-saving techniques available, while simultaneously planning for an appropriate amount of energy generation. Each building employs a super-insulated envelope and extensive sunshading devices that combine with an impressive array of electricity-generating solar photovoltaic panels to contribute to the net-zero goal.
View across the Village Square, UC Davis West Village. Photo: Jeff Peters, Vantage Point Photography
Acting as the town hall on West Village Square, the Leasing and Recreation Center provides fitness, gaming, and administrative offices to serve the community. The structure is a simple folded plane anchored by a central thermal chimney tower to provide passive cooling. Large openings to the south are shaded by deep overhangs and connect the interior spaces to a large exterior pool area.
Leasing & Recreation Building, UC Davis West Village. Photo:Jeff Peters, Vantage Point Photography
…but wait, there’s more!
As phase 1 of the greater plan, West Village Square was just the beginning of the fun. Now, with Phase II beginning to take shape and the retail spaces around the Village Square starting to fill up, West Village is continuing to grow and evolve – and we’re proud to remain involved in the process. Look for the following additions to the West Village community to open later this year:
Boulevard Units:
The second phase of the West Village plan, the Boulevard Units are comprised of three-story walk-ups of two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations – totaling 504 beds of student rental housing with recreation areas and a pool. The buildings are grouped around courtyards and park spaces, and align to form an active, urban street edge. The site planning reinforces the social connections and chance meetings that are vital to student life. The buildings follow the ethos of the first phase of West Village—they will be net-zero energy and will achieve the highest levels of sustainability. The Boulevard Units will be completed in 2013.
The Hub (at MU-6)
A tenant improvement of one of the retail spaces in the original West Village Square, The Harvest is a modern dining venue that will infuse West Village Square with shopping and dining opportunities for the students, faculty, and staff that call West Village home. The 6,000 square foot space combines the convenience of a market with the comfort of a café and restaurant. The venue has views to the Village Green and the main street linking West Village to the University, and provides a hot spot for residents to mingle and interact.
West Village Square photo: Frederic Larson, on behalf of Carmel Partners, Inc.
The Gold Nugget Awards honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial, and industrial projects. Merit Award winning projects are considered finalists for the Grand Awards – the winners of which will be announced on June 5th at PCBC’s award ceremony in San Diego. Tickets are available here. For more on UC Davis West Village, click here. Congratulations to all involved!