With the former Town Center sitting on top of the San Andreas Fault, the Town of Portola Valley needed to create a new Town Center that was a safe and functional environment that met the civic and recreational needs of its community. The new and recently completed Town Center, which includes a park, playing fields and permanent modern facilities, was built to the latest earthquake standards, and is in line for several green building awards, including LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Southwest Construction provided rough and finish carpentry – siding, windows and site carpentry, for the construction of the new 11-acre town hall, community hall and library project. Numerous materials were salvaged and re-used from the old Town Center buildings. Locally harvested eucalyptus flooring was used in the Community Hall and locally reclaimed redwood was used for exterior siding and trim. All framing lumber and the metal clad wood windows were Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The interior trim was re-milled from crating materials that were used to ship the metal roofing to the job site. Throughout the construction process, every effort was made to recycle all construction waste, including waste wood, packing materials, and other construction byproducts. The project achieved 95% recycling.
In time, these structures will certainly be classified as landmark buildings.
