2025 California Green Building Awards
Merit in Energy, and Merit in Equity
The Library & Learning Connection - Chabot's first all-electric building - advances energy innovation by integrating passive architecture with smart, efficient systems to achieve a 31.2% cost savings over ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and a modeled 68% reduction in EUI. The design eliminates fossil fuels while maximizing performance through a refined building envelope, optimized daylighting, and mechanical integration with the campus central plant.
The team used LEED v4’s Integrative Process framework to map energy synergies across envelope, lighting, and mechanical design. An exterior louvered shading system limits solar heat gain while maintaining over 75% daylight autonomy. Deep floor plates are balanced by a skylit atrium that drives daylight to the building core, reducing lighting energy loads. The mechanical design uses demand-controlled ventilation.
By eliminating fossil fuel dependence and achieving deep energy reductions, the project redirects operational savings to academic and student programs. The Library & Learning Connection serves as a demonstration of energy equity, measurable savings and long-term resilience; it advances districtwide decarbonization goals and it provides a replicable, data-backed model for higher-education facilities statewide.
In addition, Chabot College serves over 30,000 students in Hayward and across the East Bay, with over 80% of students identifying with minority groups. A majority attend for career and job training or personal development. In part, the college endeavors to “provide culturally responsive, revitalizing, and sustaining learning and support services driven by a goal of equity," and the new Library and Learning Connection building aligns. It is an active and open resource for the entire East Bay community to feel welcome, safe and free to be themselves.
The design team and community stakeholders worked closely together. The design of the envelope and the structure were closely coordinated to support the desired openness both inside and out. The openness of the atrium with the social stair was coordinated across design disciplines to create an open and active space that feeds into spaces of various sizes to be used by a variety of small, medium, and large groups as well as individuals.
This level of transparency also meant close coordination with the MEP team to ensure heat gain would not be an issue. The architectural team designed the louver system for the glass façade to maximize daylight and views while minimizing heat gain. The resulting exterior shading system is specifically designed to the local climate conditions and the needs of the interior building program. In the first two months of being open, more than 35,000 people visited this new building.