Full Text
Media Contact: Annika Dukes, [EMAIL REDACTED] Noll & Tam Architects (510) 542-2218 NOLL & TAM ARCHITECTS Role for the El Cerrito Recycling and Environmental Resource Center project Noll & Tam Architects, working as part of a design-build team with Pankow Special Projects L.P., designed the new Recycling and Environmental Resource Center for the City of El Cerrito. The design team set out to transform a crumbling 40-year-old recycling center built on the site of a decommissioned rock quarry into a community destination built around sustainability, where residents can drop off and exchange materials while collection operations proceed safely and efficiently. The new design honors the Center’s longstanding environmental mission, functional requirements, and unique natural setting. Every component fulfills multiple functions with a cohesive set of building forms. From broad concept to smallest construction detail, our design has a “no frills” commitment, finding inspiration in solutions that are rooted in what is practical, simple, and respectful of the existing context. The organizing feature of the design is a circular canopy structure that provides shelter for the recycling bins, safely separates the public zone from staff operations, and responds to the dramatic amphitheater bowl shape of the former quarry. At the entry, a 2,200-square-foot office building provides a public face and educational resource for the Center. We worked closely with ZETA, a cutting-edge precision building manufacturer, in the design and creation of this building. Because ZETA’s structures are factory constructed, there is minimal waste, consistent with our overall design philosophy. Much of the existing facility was deconstructed and re-used in the new Recycling Center. The design team was able to exceed the City’s sustainability objectives by incorporating recycled building materials, rainwater catchment, and solar power. As a net-zero-energy facility, the new Recycling Center champions ecological education through example, and is on track to be LEED Platinum certified by the U.S. Green Building Institute. About Noll & Tam Architects Noll & Tam Architects’ work reflects a dedication to the particular people and places that make our projects unique. Christopher Noll and Janet Tam founded the firm in 1992 to establish a talented studio of architects that pursued the ideal of active community involvement and environmentally responsive design. Today, the firm has 21 creative and energetic staff members, including 12 LEED Accredited Professionals. Noll & Tam designs distinct spaces that enhance the civic presence of municipal buildings and create welcoming environments for the public. Our acclaimed work in the planning and design of libraries, universities and community college facilities, and civic buildings illustrates a commitment to the people and buildings that make for strong communities. Our clients find their vision realized and expanded by the firm’s careful attention to the integration of client objectives, end-user needs, and a creative exploration of the possibilities.