The College Preparatory School is known for its forward-looking mission, encompassing environmental stewardship and community engagement. Located in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood, the independent high school has long demanded a level of innovation to make the most of its wooded, hillside grounds. The building structure primarily employs renewable wood framing, introducing fire resistance challenges. The introduction of terraces and decks at different elevations helps to tie together in a very pleasant way the experience of the project. The project is all-electric, eliminating the use of fossil fuels. While the rooftop holds an array of 144 PV panels generating 44 kw of power, achieving net-zero energy performance began with optimizing passive design strategies. Roof catchments, and hardscape surfaces diverts rainwater into a series of large landscape planters engineered to function as detention basins, slowing the passage of rainwater and providing irrigation at the same time.
