CAMP ARROYO is a state-of-the-art environmental education camp located near Livermore, California. Middle school students study environmental science during the school year, while summer camps serve children with life-threatening illnesses. The overarching design approach was to use the entire camp -- the natural setting, the constructed landscape elements and the buildings -- as an educational tool, and to provide a healthful, restorative atmosphere.

CONTEXT & CLIMATE The setting is rolling hills and oak woodland. The site, a 138-acre former sanitarium, revealed a patchwork of former uses, including lodging, orchards, and grazing. Adjacent uses include a winery, a cattle ranch and a regional park. Hot, dry summers and mild winters characterize the climate; annual rainfall averages less than 13-inches. Heat avoidance and water conservation were therefore significant design goals and are successfully demonstrated throughout the project.

SITE DESIGN The sanitarium buildings were previously removed. New buildings, play fields, organic gardens and service areas were all sited on previously impacted areas of the site, leaving native areas for study and recreation. Storm water is collected in a series of swales and returned to the water table, rather than being removed form the site. All plantings, including playfield lawns, were selected to minimize water use, and irrigation is designed to use reclaimed water. Site lighting is efficient, fully shielded compact fluorescent, and operated by photocells.

BUILDING DESIGN The camp demonstrates building practices that reduce environmental impacts with simple means for climate based, resource efficient design. Low-tech solutions to heating, cooling, and water use reduction were favored over more complex mechanical technologies. Throughout, building form and orientation are integral aspects of energy efficiency. Hot summers dominate climatic design; heat avoidance and natural ventilation are the primary climatic design strategies.

Each building type presents a different approach to resource-efficient construction: the Bathhouses are made of stabilized earth, the Cabins are efficient wood structures, and the Dining Hall is a straw bale building. Despite their differences, the three building types also share a number of strategies. Heat is avoided with deep overhangs and shading devices. The roofs are all corrugated galvalume, which is light colored, serves to unify the buildings, and can be integrated with a future rainwater collection system. Footings and slabs are all made with 50% fly ash concrete. Certified wood is used throughout.