After nine years of planning, and nearly three years of design and construction, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus maintenance facility is now up and running – and keeping the city’s blue buses running greener than ever. Designed by the Los Angeles office of the renowned global architecture firm HOK and built by Southern California’s Morley Brothers.
The new facility boosts the below green features:
– 600 80-kilowatt photovoltaic panels on the roof to help reduce energy costs by up to 15% a year.
– Highly reflective concrete paving in the bus yard to keep the facility’s microclimate cooler.
– An urban runoff system to filter storm water.
– Reclaimed water for landscape irrigation.
– Recycled content in major constructions materials, including concrete, structural steel, carpeting, gypsum board, finishes and insulation.
– Light colored single-ply roofing to reflect heat away from the building.
– Low/no-VOC off-gassing materials and finishes.
– Energy efficient measures, including minimum energy water heaters and lighting.
– Workspaces designed to utilize natural ventilation so less air conditioning is required.
– Electric vehicle charging stations.
For more information:
on the Big Blue Bus: www.bigbluebus.com
on the design firm: www.hok.com
on the construction firm: www.morleybuilders.com