DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS OFFICE BUILDING
San Luis Obispo, California

DIR’s new Workers’ Compensation Division facility is a design-build project that has achieved LEED Gold certification. DIR occupies 7,700 of a total floor area of 9,500 square feet, on a one-acre site.

The structure is laid out with optimum orientation and proportions for daylighting and solar control. Green features include solar shading devices, high performance glazing, reclaimed water, cool roofing and paving, FSC certified wood products,
solar photovoltaic panels, and multiple daylighting strategies. An innovative system of wind towers above the roof uses negative air pressure from the consistent prevailing winds to drive a passive ventilation system.

The building design is drawn from surrounding agricultural and aiport precedents, in concert with the subdivision’s guidelines. Plastered exterior walls and metal roofing are used in simple gable shapes, in colors derived from the surrounding natural environment.

Client: Walter Brothers Properties