The dining hall uses straw bale construction to demonstrate resource efficiency. The 7600 square foot building seats 200 and makes use of a load-bearing steel frame with straw bale infill, wood from well managed forests, renewable finish materials such as wheat straw, and recycled products such as cellulose insulation. The building provides comfortable dining on even the hottest summer days by combining the effects of straw bale construction and other energy-conserving building envelope measures with natural ventilation and evaporative cooling.

The dining hall exceeds Title 24 by a 22% compliance margin. The Low-E2 glazing was not credited in the T24 calcs. Further, T24 does not credit the total effect of evaporative cooling or thermal mass. Together, these features extend energy performance over and above this margin. Energy efficiency was achieved using both passive and active means: