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Living Labs of Tomorrow: Pioneering Net Zero in Education
Room: 212
Time: 11:30am – 12:30pm
The San Bernardino Community College District has pioneered a sustainable design approach that merges high-performance buildings with educational excellence, creating ‘living labs’ that both conserve resources and enrich learning. This strategy places the district at the forefront of education in the green sector, enabling programs in photovoltaic technology, electric vehicles, and other emerging fields, thereby strengthening local economies.
This workshop will explore forming a team with a shared vision and mindset, showcasing the district’s upcoming Technical Education project and Net Zero pilot. We will delve into a design process that builds strong community and industry partnerships, streamlines workflows, and enhances project delivery, all while fostering a sustainable future for the community.
This workshop is designed to empower owners, architects, and contractors with insights for crafting a more efficient and collaborative project process, strategies that begin in the earliest stages of project planning and maintaining momentum through to the opening of their new facility, ensuring that the project’s vision is not just preserved, but enhanced, every step of the way.
Learning Objectives:
Cultivating a Unified Project Vision Right from the Start: This objective focuses on bringing together all stakeholders to co-create a shared vision for the project, ensuring alignment and commitment from the outset.
Establishing Clear, Quantifiable Goals for the Project Team: Aimed at setting specific, measurable objectives that provide clear direction and benchmarks for success, enabling the team to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments.
Forming a Cohesive Team with the Right Mindsets: This goal is about assembling a team that not only possesses the required skills but also shares a positive, growth-oriented mindset, facilitating a collaborative and innovative work environment.
Creating an Inclusive Construction Management Process: This objective seeks to develop a management framework that ensures all team members are engaged and contributing, with a focus on leaving no one behind and promoting inclusivity throughout the project lifecycle.
Speakers:
Farrah Farzaneh, Executive Director, Facilities Planning, Construction & Sustainability at San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD)
Lisa Hannaman, Senior Account Manager, Southern California Edison (SCE)
Simon Solis, Design Principal, HMC Architects
Yash Patel, Associate Director Facilities Planning, Construction & Sustainability at San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD)
Aravind Batra, Vice President, P2S Inc.
Farrah Farzaneh is the Executive Director of Facilities Planning, Construction & Sustainability at the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD), with over 15 years of expertise in program, project, and construction management. She is a Certified Construction Manager (CCM), Associate Design Build (Assoc. DBIA), LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP BD+C), and Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP).
Farrah holds a Master’s in Construction Management and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, focusing on Real Estate Development and Finance, both from the University of Southern California. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Administration at the University of La Verne.
Her professional work focuses on integrating sustainability into construction projects, emphasizing the development of Zero Net Energy (ZNE) ready buildings and building electrification. Farrah is actively involved with several advisory boards, including the Green California Schools and Higher Education Summit and the Women in Leadership Executive Program at UC Riverside Extension.
Additionally, she holds a board position with the Construction Management Association of America’s Southern California chapter, reflecting her dedication to shaping an equitable and sustainable future in construction and facilities management.
Simon Solis is a practicing architect with 23 years of design experience focused in California practice include a diverse collection of projects in Higher Education, K12, and the Community & Culture sectors. His work ranges from libraries, classroom buildings, technical education, athletics stadiums, wellness centers, student services and community aquatics, including master plans, and facility analyses — he believes deeply in the positive impact design can have on health and wellness and educational success of students and communities his projects serve. Simon believes in a collaborative design process focused on understanding and achieving the unique needs and specific goals and vision of every client, stakeholder, and community his projects serve.
Yash Patel serves as the Associate Director of Facilities, Planning, Sustainability & Construction at SBCCD. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering with an emphasis on energy systems. Yash has steered the district towards the development of sustainability plan and zero-net-energy master plan, while driving innovation in SBCCD’s bond projects. His unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovative practices has not only earned the district widespread recognition but has also significantly transformed its environmental impact.
Aravind Batra has over 30 years of experience in consulting engineering, covering both renovation and new construction. He currently serves as Vice President, where he helps to ensure P2S quality standards continuously. Aravind brings an in-depth knowledge of electrical systems and their requirements to numerous needs assessments, systems upgrades, renovations, and new building projects for various educational, municipal, commercial, and industrial clients. He is responsible for designing numerous high-performance buildings, independent reviews of various types of buildings, and providing peer review on multiple renovations and new building projects for educational, industrial, and commercial facilities.
Aravind has also been involved with developing sustainability master plans for various clients addressing their energy efficiency opportunities, their facilities’ impact on the atmosphere, sustainable sites, water use efficiency, waste management, and high-performance green building issues. He has been instrumental in developing electrical standards for various facilities that promote energy-efficient designs and help clients standardize their systems and equipment to reduce operational and maintenance costs.
