California Straw Bale Building Earns LEED Certification

The Transit Maintenance Facility in Santa Clarita, Calif., designed by HOK has been certified a LEED Gold building by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Through an unconventional use of materials the project has become one of the first LEED-certified straw bale buildings in the world, according to a press release from HOK.

Completed in May 2006, the new facility includes a 22,000-square-foot administration building, 25,000-square-foot maintenance building, bus wash facility, CNG fueling island for city buses and publicly accessible CNG fueling station. The $20 million project is designed to accommodate more than 150 buses and nearly 160 staff with room for future expansion.

The Santa Clarita building is constructed of straw bales with a lime plaster layer on both the interior and exterior. Additional sustainable features include skylights, onsite stormwater collection and treatment, water efficient plumbing fixtures, 25-percent fly ash paving and the use of local recycled materials.