IDeAs performed the electrical engineering for the Portola Valley Town Center, a deep green town administration building, library and community hall, located within yards of the San Andreas Fault. Completed in 2008 this high performance campus was one of the first projects in the US to take a hard look at the carbon emissions involved both in the construction of the building (embodied carbon) in addition to the subsequent operation of the building (operational carbon). Its proximity to the San Andreas Fault’s fracture zone forced the design team to look hard at resilience including taking a hard look at strategies to rapidly reconnect power rather than try to avoid damage after a major earthquake. The project is LEED Platinum Certified and won an AIA COTE Top 10 Award.
