In the past 80 years at Laguna Blanca School, the faculty, staff, student body and parents have seen many dramatic changes, whether it’s to the curriculum, the school’s staff, or to the actual design of the school.
But no one has seen this expansive of a change in the history of the school.
On August 21, the Board of Trustees, faculty, and guests came to the Hope Ranch campus for the revealing of the new eco-friendly parking plaza.
Schipper Construction, KBZ Architects, Stonemark Construction Management, and Earthform Design worked together to get the project finished in time for the first day of classes. The school received the
largest capital improvement donation in 80 years from Alison Wrigley Rusack and Geoffrey C. Rusack—all going towards the process of revamping the parking lot.
Due to agreements with
the city and county of Santa Barbara, Laguna could not make any other changes to the physicality of the school until the parking lot was completed, so the Rusacks’ gift sped up the process for future restorations and improvements.
The new parking plaza is the beginning of a transformation of the school overall by showing an environmental development on campus.
The plaza has countless eco-friendly features that help decrease pollution and reduce the school’s ecological footprint overall.
The absorbent concrete surface and permeable pavers in each parking spot help increase water filtration and reduce pollution before it leaves the parking lot.
The lighter colored pavement and the addition
of new tree canopies helps reduce heat by increasing the reflectivity of the surfaces and adding more shade around the whole parking lot.
Every lighting fixture in
the parking plaza has motion sensors, so they will only turn on when someone drives or walks past them.
They are also equipped with high-efficiency LED light bulbs to reduce the consumption of energy.
Fifty-seven new trees have been planted, along with drought tolerant shrubs, which compliment the previously existing greenery.
A high-efficiency irrigation system has been added, which controls irrigation to the tree and planting root systems. It also minimizes water loss due to evaporation.
Finally, a new wastewater Advanced Treatment System has been installed to collect and treat the wastewater so it can be reused to water the field.
The managers of this project are also planning on connecting the wastewater piping to the upper campus in the next phase of this construction.
According to Don Donaldson, the Principal
Engineer at Penfield and Smith, who was a huge asset in the completion of this project, “This parking plaza is probably the most environmentally advanced application of green design and construction techniques in Santa Barbara County, perhaps even the state.”
Not only is this new parking plaza appealing to the Santa Barbara County for its eco- friendly features, but it is also appreciated by the students in the junior and senior classes who drive to school.
“The completion of this new parking plaza is incredibly important to the Laguna Blanca School’s 80-year history and future legacy,” said Tom Pickett, Board Chair.
During the Homecoming celebrations, the school
will recognize and honor all those who helped support the parking lot’s eco-friendly renovation.