The Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Student Success Center in Walnut, California has achieved LEED Gold Certification.

The three-story, 16,000 square foot building, home to the school’s disabled student programs and services, veterans counseling and resource center, a health services annex, and flexible program space, was designed to encourage and enhance the student experience by creating an accessible environment that supports the success of the students it serves. While addressing the unique and specific functions of the departments’ program and responding to the greater context of the built and natural environment of campus, the buildings architecture reflects its prominent location on campus and expresses the value of the program and people which it serves.

The Student Success Center building is designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. By employing a combination of energy saving tactics, the Student Success Center project achieved an energy savings of 20%. To reduce consumption, we utilized high insulation in the building’s walls and roof, curtainwall glazing, and exterior louvers and overhangs for shading. We selected HVAC&R equipment with reduced refrigerant charge and increased equipment life to minimize direct impact on ozone depletion and global warming. A storm water management plan captures and treats stormwater runoff from 90% of the average rainfall. In addition, we prioritized natural daylight, with 75% of regularly occupied interior spaces receiving natural daylight.