CSUMB: Military Base Conversion as an Opportunity for Sustainable Design

Margot McDonald, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Polly Cooper, San Luis Obispo Sustainability Group
Ken Haggard, San Luis Obispo Sustainability Group

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Publisher's website: http://www.ases.org

Abstract

The conversion of military bases around the country creates an imperative to infuse social, economic, and environmental vitality back into the affected region. Fort Ord in Monterey County, a recent casualty of base closures, is being turned into an opportunity for adaptive reuse as it undergoes the transformation from an army base to a magnet campus for the California State University (CSU) system. The CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus visionaries included sustainability as a priority in the base conversion. To achieve this goal, the university hired a team of sustainable design consultants. This paper reports on the outcomes of the preliminary design and planning phases.