California State University San Bernardino’s College of Education (COE) features 140,000 square feet of office and classroom space. Designed by LPA Inc., the $51 million, three-story building is one of the largest structures on campus. An impressive 250 kW solar array is found atop the building.

The COE supports the clinical and technological needs of the post-baccalaureate and graduate programs. Funds for the building came from Proposition 55, the $12.3 billion statewide school repair and construction bond.

The landscapes surrounding the building are a water efficiency masterpiece. Although located in a desert, most of the campus is covered in lawns, shrubs and other water intensive plants. The spaces around the COE provide multiple walking paths amongst natural desert habitat. Native flora conserves water, reduces maintenance costs, and promotes drought-tolerant xeriscapes for students to learn from and enjoy.

"CSU San Bernardino has experienced major water savings because the plants selected are less water intensive and more site appropriate," says LPA Landscape Architect Rich Bienvenu. "We tapped into a natural, onsite aquifer and this is unique because it is not something that most campuses have available to them. The aquifer provides for 100 percent of the site’s irrigation needs."

This project is a terrific example of returning a site back to its natural state.