Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) 24th Annual Awards Celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 30
SSMC and the American Institute of Architects’ San Mateo County Chapter will present the 2023
Green Building Award to the Burlingame Community Center in Burlingame. Honorable Mentions
will be awarded to the Atherton Library in Atherton and Gilead Sciences’ Wellbeing Center in
Foster City.
The Green Building Award will be presented to:
The Burlingame Community Center in Burlingame, which opened in June 2022. The two-story, 36,000-
square-foot building was designed as “pavilions in a park,” a concept that arose out of widespread
community outreach that identified a desire for an inviting destination in the beautiful, natural setting
of Washington Park. The Community Center achieves zero net energy through rooftop solar panels and
includes a green roof, an emergency backup generator, and sustainable finishes and landscaping. It
utilizes energy meters and a state-of-the-art building management system to manage and reduce energy
consumption. A metric dashboard of the integrated building systems acts as a community teaching tool,
showing the city’s commitment to its Climate Action Plan.
Owner: City of Burlingame. Architect: Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., South San
Francisco. Builder: BHM Construction, Napa.
Image Courtesy of The Burlingame Community Center
Green Building Honorable Mentions will be awarded to:
The Atherton Library in Atherton, a low-carbon, zero net energy-ready, all-electric project with modular,
multiuse spaces and ample use of daylighting and natural ventilation.
Owner: Town of Atherton. Architect: WRNS Studio, San Francisco. Builder: S.J. Amoroso Construction,
Inc., Redwood City.
Image Courtesy of The Atherton Library
Gilead Sciences’ Wellbeing Center in Foster City. Early in the design process, the Gilead team identified
synergies across building systems and disciplines to support health and wellness, as well as reduce
energy loads. The two-story-high building includes solar panels, a water reclamation/reuse system,
radiant heating/cooling and building materials that contribute to a healthy interior.
Owner: Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City. Architect: Flad Architects, San Francisco. Builder: Truebeck
Construction, San Mateo.
Image Courtesy of Gilead Sciences’ Wellbeing Center
About Sustainable San Mateo County
Founded in 1992, Sustainable San Mateo County is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to a vision of a
sustainable future for everyone in the county. Its mission is to drive impactful action on economic,
environmental and social equity issues that leads to sustainable practices and improves the long-term health of
San Mateo County. For more information and tickets, visit https://sustainablesanmateo.org, email
[email protected] or call 650-918-1992.