It seems like forever and a day ago that I was working on the College of the Desert, New West Valley Campus proposal for HGA's Los Angeles office. I can't believe how quickly time passes, especially in a marketers world when we jump from deadline to deadline. What began with a proposal is now becoming a reality when construction starts this fall.
I learned so many things from this proposal. A group effort carried this proposal home, each learning from the other and pushing our response and the design as far as we could go. A significant amount of research was conducted around the extremely dry and arid environment in Palm Springs and the natural flora and fauna living in and affected by this climate. I worked side-by-side with designers, digging through endangered species lists for the region, climate readings and historical items of interest for the area. This information helped further our understanding of the College's needs. Who knew that the Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae, also known as the Coachella Milk Vetch, thrives among the dunes in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs and is endangered by urban sprawl. This little flowering plant helps reduce blowing sand and substantiates the area for other creatures. Recognizing and addressing this in our proposal was a must. I also learned more about the area itself, such as Box Canyon and the other natural elements that make up the desert landscape.
I also jumped headfirst into sustainable design for the desert. The campus design that is coming to life is incredibly sustainable seeking LEED Platinum certification. Photovoltaic panels incorporated into the carports will generate roughly 45% of electrical needs for Phase I. The use of cutting edge evaporate cooling towers within the Central Plants will recycle water that will in turn, be used for landscape irrigation. Chilled beam systems, shading from a man-made Arroyo and natural light and ventilation push the project to meet the zero-plus goal.
We all contributed to the proposal and the excitement and enthusiasm to help the College led us to win the project. One of the most satisfying projects of my career to date; it's really thrilling to see it come to fruition. Learn more about this cutting-edge campus on HGA's Facebook page.