Breakthrough Green Building In The Heart Of Silicon Valley

I have spent my entire adult career in the health field. The education I provide has covered every aspect of health from food, to emotional well-being, to positive thoughts, to right livelihood, to air pollution, to solutions for toxic hair dye, and on and on. And on. Yet one area has really captured my attention. It’s an area where I feel I can make a real difference in the world: green building.

Green Building In Silicon Valley

We now know that many of the buildings we are inhabiting and working in are often contaminated with VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), made of cheap materials that are susceptible to black mold, are energy inefficient (they are not based on self-generating solar and wind power and 49% of carbon emissions in America come from poorly designed buildings), are poorly architected for subtle energy flow (poor feng shui), amongst other challenges. In order to solve these problems, we have to whole-heartedly begin building green and rehabilitating old buildings by turning them into green buildings. This is critical to a healthy future and a new economy.

I am proud to announce my involvement with Blaqk Diamond and its founders Chris Jafarieh and Nicole Jadelrab in helping to create a green mixed-use class A building project in Palo Alto, California known as College Terrace Center. The project is located one block from Stanford University and within walking distance of Caltrain as well as numerous amenities.

“I love everything about Palo Alto, it’s one of the premier markets for development in the country. We have been working diligently on this project for the last 3 years, and we’re excited to see it come to fruition.” —Chris Jafarieh, Principle, Blaqk Diamond Group

College Terrace Center features operable/openable windows, bicycle storage, premier finishes, photo voltaic solar panels, multiple outdoor areas, corner offices and private patios. Tenants at College Terrace Center and locals will also enjoy the amenity of an onsite health food store.

Energy saving and sustainable design features for the new facility include:

An organic roof top garden: the grocery store and/or restaurant may use this garden to grow food plants, herbs, etc. The irrigation water for this garden is supplied by captured rainwater.

Solar panels on the roof supplies electricity to common areas in the building.

Charging stations for electrical vehicles are found in the garage.

A rainwater capture system is used for irrigation around the facility. The rainwater is filtered through a capture system in the garage and then it is stored in a two story cistern for use as needed.

The air conditioning system does not require cooling tower(s); this eliminates chemicals and saves on water and electricity. Ventilation in the underground garage is required to eliminate carbon monoxide build up. The fans used to circulate the garage air also cool the water system for the air conditioners.

An onsite natural park that is over 5,000 square feet in area.

A bamboo garden that acts as a filtration system and capture system for rainwater. The west side of College Terrace Center receives the most heat and is, for that reason, the side with the bamboo wall. The bamboo acts to reduce heat exposure on that side while capturing rainwater and increasing natural beauty.