Commitment to

Sustainable
Design
About NTD Architecture Committed to Sustainability
Founded in 1953, NTD Architecture is an award-winning design firm operating out of NTD Architecture is committed to high performance and sustainable design practices
seven offices across the West, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Visalia, Salinas and that employ simple yet effective concepts to minimize environmental impacts, reduce
Auburn, California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Nationally ranked by Building operating costs and maximize curriculum opportunities. We see sustainable design as an
Design+Construction as the #13 firm overall, NTD has earned its place as one of the imperative, that when properly applied, will yield a more habitable, aesthetic and cost-
leaders in the design industry. effective architecture. It is said, “all the really important mistakes are made on the first
day.” The greatest opportunity to influence design is earlier in the design process rather
The firm is widely recognized for employing innovative strategies and sensitive design than later in construction documents.
solutions for education and healthcare facilities. NTD has earned a reputation for
responsive services, innovative ideas, and personal attention to clients’ needs. Many Traditionally, the decision-making process has been based on an impact to Quality,
of our projects have received awards for design excellence from local, regional and Schedule and Cost components. With a focus on sustainable design our decisions now
national institutions. include impacts to human comfort, energy efficiency, lifecycle cost and impacts on the
environment. To best understand the cornerstones of the decision model, we educate our
The firm’s practice encompasses the following areas: clients, consultants, and staff about the benefits of sustainable design and the criteria
• Colleges and Universities that ultimately measure the success of a green building design.
• K-12 Schools
• Healthcare Facilities To best capture a project’s sustainable strategies, our design process has been organized
• Laboratories around the principles of LEED and CHPS categories to formulate a Sustainable
• Libraries Initiatives Plan (SIP). The SIP creates a master plan for sustainability strategies, unique
• Community Centers to each client and project with the expectation that the initial planning efforts outlast the
• Recreational Facilities project’s occupancy. Integrated with other modeling programs such as BIM, Ecotect,
and EnergyPro, we can develop green solutions tailored to the needs of each client
Our Sustainable Services include: beyond CHPS and LEED certification. In addition, the SIP creates an owner’s operational
• Eco-Charrette manual that includes measurement and verification systems to verify how the users and
• Site Selection Studies maintainers of a facility and/or campus can readily test the ongoing success of the
• Feasibility Studies sustainable strategies.
• Energy Modeling: BIM
• Sustainable Design: CHPS and LEED The Sustainable Initiatives Plan (SIP) is structured around the rating categories of:
• Lifecycle Cost Analysis • Sustainable Sites
• Project Financing • Water Efficiency
• Site and Facility Master Planning • Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Innovation and Design
• LEED

“Man shapes himself through decisions

that shape his environment.”
- Rene Dubos
BIM (Building Information Modeling)
NTD employs an interactive approach to planning and design in which clients and
consultants become key participants in the development of ‘virtual’ design solutions.
The design process is enhanced by the utilization of Building Information Modeling
(BIM). This state of the art technology allows a project team to quickly visualize the
proposed design concept and make decisions early when the opportunity for change is
maximized and the cost minimized. This interactive design approach provides enhanced
opportunities to test the design’s performance and achieve its project goals.
NTD has made great strides in advancing our practice in the area of Computer Assisted
Design using BIM software and techniques. We have developed a process by which we
are now engaged in true Integrated Project Design. All of our design work and the work
of our primary engineers is maintained within the same database of information. All
disciplines are coordinated in real time throughout the project including Architectural,
Structural, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing.
Visualization and Control Performance Modeling: Optimize/Test/
Simulate
BIM facilitates the interoperability between building design models and a variety of
engineering analysis tools. These tools can utilize preliminary design concepts to test a
project’s energy and carbon results. From the initial results, the findings can be analyzed
for orientation, building envelope, window to wall ratio, mechanical and electrical
systems to simulate improved performance. These analyses create a framework for
decision-making that traditionally are not available until further into a project when it
is not feasible to make simple design changes. The interrelationships of BIM and these
analysis tools improve energy efficiency calculations while eliminating the need for time-
consuming plan quantity takeoffs.
Quality Control and Quality Assurance
BIM has transformed the documentation process for a project. Parametric design consists
of virtual components that, when edited in one location, automatically adjust in every
other subsequent view. All project detailing and call outs are automated, eliminating
mis-referenced or missing details. NTD is capable of delivering a higher quality and
better-coordinated set of documents resulting in reduced conflicts, more responsive bids
from builders and minimized project delays and change orders.
Assisting in Financial Mechanics
NTD’s SIP implementation strategies are a direct result of the client’s sustainable goals,
performance criteria, and preference for contracting methods. NTD collaborates closely
with various sustainable specialists in the industry to assure the correct dynamic of
resources that will best maximize the opportunities for a client and a particular project.
The success of our strategies is a result of a collaborative process that includes full
participation of the entire team from project inception through occupancy. The results
are strategies that can be implemented throughout the occupancy of the facility and/or
campus.
Many projects can yield savings that directly offset the initial costs and pay for
themselves. The following methodologies can be utilized individually or collectively to
attain your sustainable goals:
• Funding found in your utility budget
• Preventative Maintenance Funds
• Green Performance Contracting
Green Performance Contracting is based upon contemporary Energy Performance
Contract concepts. This methodology is a dynamic and flexible building renewal and
procurement tool allowing green and energy efficiency savings to fund projects.
Additional funding and tax incentive programs exist that create opportunities to turbo-
charge your financial mechanisms. There are a multitude of programs from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that can provide 0 - 2 percent grant programs
and state utility incentive and grant programs to supplement project funding.
Portfolio
Skills Center, San Diego Community College
District
67,000 SF; LEED Silver Pending
The three one-story buildings, three auto repair
canopies, and adjacent site work include a combination
of office, classroom and work space. Bicycle storage
and shower/changing rooms are provided to promote
the use of alternative transportation. Dual-flush water
closets, waterless urinals and water-efficient landscaping
are used. To provide an alternative source of energy,
photovoltaic panels are installed on the canopy roofs.
Recycling areas are provided in three central locations
on the site. In addition, materials are used that contain
pre and post consumer recycled content. To maintain a
comfortable level of air quality in the building, high levels
of passive and mechanical ventilation are employed.
Also, materials were chosen based upon having a
low level of Volatile Organic Content. Daylighting is
prominent in 75% of spaces and 90% have views to the
outside.
Business Technology & Mathematics and Art &
Humanities Buildings, Miramar College, San
Diego Community College District
90,300 SF; LEED Silver Pending
Flanking the new Library, the Buildings seek to bridge the
gap between the existing and the new styles. Materials
and building form were strategically selected and help
the buildings to relate well with each other yet still
maintain their own identity. The sloped roofs, which
provide clerestory windows facing north and photovoltaic
panels facing south, as well as deep shading and efficient
massing, all contribute to a sustainable building form.
BIM allowed the design team to study building orientation
and to optimize overhangs to maximize efficiency. High
performance materials, glazing, lighting systems and
mechanical systems are utilized throughout, helping the
project to ultimately obtain LEED Silver Certification.
Hoch Shanahan Dining Commons, Harvey
Mudd College
25,750 SF; LEED Silver
Energy efficient skylights, clerestory windows and highbay
space with exposed structure provide a center for student
activities and dining for this engineering college. Climate
control led to the employment of a displacement air
system that delivers large volumes of conditioned air at
extremely low velocities to provide thermal and acoustical
comfort to the inhabitants. Collaboration between the
owner, architect and CM @ Risk contractor, enabled the
campus to accelerate the project, saving $600,000 in
general conditions, management, and materials.
Portfolio
Truckee Community Recreation Center
100,000 SF
With the majority of use in winter months, all circulation
occurs within a warm, inviting, climate-controlled atrium
space inside the facility. The circulation throughout is
intended to evoke feelings of an indoor park. Light filters
down into community areas where informal seating
is arranged. Indoor planters are spread throughout.
Special-use areas highlight the circulation zone. The
building mass steps down from high to low from North
to South allowing for solar exposure during colder
winter months. Clerestory windows allow for daylighting
throughout a majority of the facility. Materials, such as
heavy timber and stone, tie into the character of local
architecture. The general character of the building
is a blend of contemporary and historic mountain
architecture. Areas of stone and masonry anchor the
facility to the wooded site, while window walls take
advantage of southern solar exposure in the natatorium.
The facility is designed to exceed Title 24 energy
standards by 27%.
New Technology High School Expansion & Sontag Residence Hall, Harvey Mudd College
Renovation, Napa Valley Unified School District 26,171 SF; LEED Certified
18,000 SF new, 26,000 SF transformation; LEED Gold This Residence Hall was the first building in the
Pending Claremont Colleges consortium to be granted LEED
The educational program is a technology-focused certification. Innovative HVAC and low VOC materials
project-based learning curriculum that emphasizes real combine to enhance the quality of life for students. The
world problem solving through group work participation. hall houses 75 students in 18 suites with full kitchens,
The success that this project has had is a direct result 42 single rooms and 18 double rooms. It is also the site
of the integrated efforts and high quality performance of the first faculty-in-residence program at Harvey Mudd
characteristics that resulted through the utilization of College.
BIM. The 3D visualization tools and walk thru animation
allowed the client the ability to understand the proposed
design options and quickly recommend the ideal solution
that best fulfilled the educational and cultural needs of
the program. Extensive daylighting strategies, energy
modeling and acoustical analyses were performed to
meet the requirements for a LEED Gold anticipated
certification.
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San Dimas, California 91773
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Visalia, California 93277
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Salinas, California 93901
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Auburn, California 95603
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Phoenix, Arizona 85008
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Tucson, Arizona 85712
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