Optimal use of solar energy was a primary shaper of design for CRS buildings, where passive solar energy provides space heating and hot water. The buildings are heated by direct solar gain as the sun heats the floors of exposed concrete slab. Upper stories of these buildings are above ground for cross-circulation. Outdoor trellises are covered with grapevines to shade windows from summer sun but allow sunlight to pass through and warm the buildings in winter. The Center also uses active solar, in the form of photovoltaic systems and windmills.
Students grow vegetables and grain in gardens and fish in aquaculture ponds.
The Center seeks to make optimum use of energy and materials available on-site, as students learn the process of living in a more sustainable way. Sharon Stine, Department of Landscape Architecture, 909.869.4657.