September was an honorable month for the Maple Street Correctional Center, a California jail built to discourage inmates from coming back once they’re released.
The criminal justice project and joint venture with Layton Construction earned LEED Gold certification, the second highest of four classifications. LEED certification is based on points awarded for environmental impact including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design and regional priority credits.
The building, located in Redwood City, includes significant reductions in water use. Through the use of increased efficiency plumbing and recycled water, the facility reduced indoor water use by 54 percent and cut potable water use for landscaping to zero.
Day lighting and natural ventilation were leveraged when possible to help reduce energy loads. Coupled with significant performance improvements in heating and lighting performance, energy use was reduced by 34 percent over industry standards.
Being located in an area that prioritizes waste reduction, the design-build team diverted 97 percent of site-generated construction waste from landfill. More than 25 percent of building materials were manufactured using recycled products and the facility remains centrally located, making it accessible by mass transit or bike.
The building also earned a Structures Award from the Silicon Valley Business Journal in the Public/Civic Project category. The awards honor Northern California’s top players in several categories covering commercial real estate, development, construction and design. Winners were announced Sept. 22 at an awards dinner in San Jose.
The facility aims to reduce recidivism by employing a new approach called “Corrections with Compassion.” The center is an 832-bed facility that has a separate area for work-furlough prisoners. Those inmates are allowed to leave during the day for work, school or training.
Staff ensures inmates appear in court and complete jail sentences, are incarcerated in a manner that provides for their medical, nutritional, hygienic, legal and spiritual needs and receive services designed to provide opportunities to improve their lives, both during and after incarceration, in order to reduce recidivism.
Visitation at the facility includes video capabilities as well as a children’s area that makes kids and families feel safe and welcome.