harsher elements of the city's climate.
Earthen berms planted with tall trees
slow the rough winds that blow through
Lancaster and enclose the site from
the busy street. The berms also help
lift the trees high enough to provide
green views from patient rooms on
the upper fl oors of the building. These
planted berms provide human comfort
and restoration, as well as conserve soil
moisture in this arid environment by
blocking the drying winds.
The facility is also notable for having
a landscape that is net-zero water use.
The topography of the site was designed
so that water would drain away from
the berms and paving toward the trees
and larger shrubs. Plantings were split
into three distinct hydrozones, with the
non-native trees and grasses placed only
in the areas with the most public use,
such as the courtyards, amphitheater,
play space and therapy garden; and a
dryer palette farther away from those
Stepped walls provide informal seating adjacent to a sunken sand pit for children to play at this
desert-inspired medical campus located in California's Antelope Valley.
Top: Boulders, decomposed granite and native grasses support Kaiser's sustainability goals with
locally sourced materials. A plant palette that is drought tolerant and requires minimal maintenance
are key highlights of this net-zero medical campus.
SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES S U S T A I N A B L E S T R A
ISSUE FOCUS
Seating:
Manolo
Langis;
Materials:
Farshid
Assassi
64
Medical Construction & Design | SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 | MCDM AG.COM