Article

Case Study: Santa Monica Mountains' Net-Zero Intern Center

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

By Claire Baker, NPS Climate Change Response Program, 2024

In 2010, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area made history as they completed work on their new student intern center—the first ever net-zero building in the National Park Service (NPS).
The intern center building, with solar panels on the roof, nestled in the hills of Santa Monica with trees surrounding

NPS Photo

Two firefighters face a group of trees, with so much smoke that the whole picture is tinted orange.
Wildfires like the 2018 Woolsey fire (pictured above) and the 2007 Corral fire have had severe impacts on Santa Monica Mountains.

NPS Photo

The Need

The opportunity came in the form of disaster. In November 2007, a series of intense wildfires hit a drought-ridden Los Angeles. One, the Corral fire, blew through the surrounding hills into Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. When the fire reached the park, it was so intense that it wasn’t safe for firefighters to stay in the area. Several buildings—including a housing structure for student interns—were lost overnight.

The Corral fire was part of a devastating wildfire season. Now, climate change is having an impact on wildfire all over California. As people continue to burn fossil fuels, climate change worsens, and wildfire seasons do too. Studies show that wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains are more common and intense now because of climate change (Gutierrez, et al 2021). At Santa Monica Mountains, climate change could be making conditions like dryness and fast Santa Ana winds happen more often than they used to. In those conditions, fires are likely to spread quickly and be very destructive.

But even at the time of the Corral fire, climate change was already having an impact. The wildfire’s destruction highlighted the need for action.

The Opportunity

In the aftermath of the fire, then-Superintendent Woody Smeck knew things would have to change. The student center would have to be rebuilt, but it couldn’t take the same form as it had before. For one thing, he wanted it to be built in a place where it was less prone to fire damage. He was also inspired by what were, at the time, new NPS sustainability goals and guidelines for sustainability found in the Green Parks Plan.

Superintendent Smeck worked with Chief of Facilities John Williams and with Rick Alesch from the NPS Denver Service Center. They used the rebuilding project as an opportunity to innovate and take action on climate change. Together, they planned a building that would generate enough energy to power itself—a building standard known as net-zero.

Rising to the Challenge

The team applied for funding for the project through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocated funding to NPS infrastructure like the intern center.

The process of planning and creating the intern center at Santa Monica Mountains wasn’t simple, and it wasn’t smooth. The team faced challenges with budgeting and funding. There were logistical issues with the limits of wastewater re-use. It also took a long time to collaborate with local power companies and connect the solar panels up to the energy grid.

Despite these challenges, the team kept persevering to meet their goal, and the project took shape over the following two years. The team chose a site: a patch of land near an administrative office, so that the new building could connect to existing utilities. Then, they began to plan it. To make the building net zero, they considered the challenges on both sides of the energy equation. The building should use as little energy as possible, but it must also generate energy to offset what it did use.

Project Specifics

On the use reduction side, the team invested in thick insulation in the walls and roof. They used a low-energy geothermal heat pump system to heat and cool the building. LED lightbulbs and low flow faucets reduce the need for lots of electricity or water use. Plus, wastewater—after being thoroughly treated—is used to flush the toilets and in the building's landscaping.

But perhaps the most visible component of the building’s sustainable design comes in on the energy production side. The intern center’s roof is covered in solar panels. They generate enough power to run a solar water heater and offset the total energy usage of the building—and then some! The solar panels generate so much energy that the intern center is technically “net-zero-plus", meaning it generates more power than it uses. The leftover energy gets sent to nearby buildings, including the administrative office next door. The office doesn't generate any power itself, but the extra energy from the intern center makes it almost net-zero too.

Additional Benefits

When the building was completed in 2010, it officially became the National Park Service’s first net-zero building. It earned a platinum-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the highest building sustainability rating possible.

Smeck and the team also wanted the building’s sustainability to serve an educational goal. As housing for interns, the center had always been meant to be a place where the next generation of park leaders learn and grow. And in a world shaped by the climate crisis, learning about sustainability is more important than ever. So the building isn’t just a model of sustainability—it's also a teaching tool. Informational signs around the building let the inhabitants learn about its sustainable design. In newer buildings, Smeck imagines, the signs could be updated with new technology to show real-time emissions savings data, too.

A white building with a terra cotta roof and a sign in front saying "Visitor Center"
The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitors Center

NPS Photo

A Lasting Impact

The student intern center was NPS’ first net-zero building, but that doesn’t mean it’s still the only one—even at Santa Monica Mountains. Only a few years later, a team led by Alesch designed and built the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center, which earned a gold LEED rating. The visitor center built on the intern center’s example to become another eco-friendly teaching building. Every visitor who comes through the building has a chance to learn both about the park and about sustainability.

The climate crisis presents many challenges, but it's not too late to take action. Projects like the intern center lead the way into the future—both by reducing their own carbon footprint and by inspiring a new cohort of sustainability leaders. By taking initiative and working together toward sustainability goals, we can help ensure a brighter future for people and parks alike.

Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government.

Thanks to Woody Smeck for providing information for this article.

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Last updated: May 8, 2024