Sustainable Design Guidelines

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is committed to designing and constructing sustainable buildings. We are also committed to fostering sustainable innovations and industry transformations throughout our community. Toward this end, we are now making our sustainable design manuals available as a learning tool for our partners and the design community.

Our Experience Leads the Way
LACCD is currently undertaking the largest public sector sustainable building effort in the United States. All new buildings are being built to LEED certification requirements and existing buildings are being retrofitted for maximum efficiency, an effort which includes 44 new buildings and 2 satellite campuses.

We’ve done the work; we have the experience. As a result, our design guideline manuals can help you navigate the process of developing green environments.

A Framework of Expectations
Sustainability can be easily integrated into the design process, but we do not define solutions for you. We simply present a framework of expectations for accomplishing green designs.

Our manuals cover the following areas:

• Introduction to Design Process and Standards
• Baseline Design Goals and Standards
• Sustainable Design Standards
• Sustainable Specification Guidelines
• Green Papers

Awards for Green Leadership
GEELA Award
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger presented the LACCD’s Green Building Program with the State’s highest environmental honor, the 2007 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award

Other Resources
Visit LACCD Builds Green for news about building projects happening on the nine colleges in the District. This website has photos, videos, a media center and other information about the Sustainable Building Program.

Businesses, contractors and others that want to work on Sustainable Building Program projects, should visit BuildLACCD, which has information on current opportunities, bidding, proposals, forms and checklists. Small-business outreach also can be found on this website.