firm profile projects awards contact home WESTERN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL claremont, california - completed. 1998 - ▲    The new classroom building replaced temporary modular classrooms at the Western Christian Schools' Claremont campus. Natural day lighting from clerestory windows is a major feature of the new classroom building, creating a better environment for teaching and learning. The straw-bale-insulated building also is significantly more energy efficient than required by code.    Although innovative in may ways, the design of the building fits into the existing context of this private school campus. The thick walls have interesting reveals and provide alcoves where doors can open safely. A "truth window" shows the straw - a recycled agricultural waste material - inside the walls.    This classroom building incorporates regenerative design principles by using less energy and more recycled building materials, and has been adopted by Southern California Edison Company as an "Energy Efficient Showcase Building." ▼   2000 AIA Pasadena and Foothill Chapter, Award of Energy Efficiency & Sustainability   ◄◄ BACK