No. Cal. Youth Treatment Center “Sacred Oak” Pairs SIPs & Solar For Net-Positive Energy Award Winning Facility!

Sacred Oaks Healing Center is the Indian Health Services newest Youth Regional Treatment Center in Davis, CA designed to better the future of both Native American Youth and the way buildings use and consume energy. The looks to Premier SIPs for Building Envelope Construction and wins High Performance SIPA 2021 Building Excellence Award!

• Project: NCYRTC (Northern California Youth Treatment Center) Sacred Oaks Healing Center, Davis, CA
• Owner: California Area Indian Health Services (IHS), an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
• Certifications received: Net Zero Energy, Dept of Energy Zero-Ready, Indoor airPLUS, LEED V4 for BD+C Platinum and UL, 5 Star -Energy Star, Floor Score Certified
• Size: Finished 35,304 SF sit on a 12-acre site
• Scope: 3 Major Buildings & Traditional Ceremonial Round House, 32 beds and five family suites. Interior features include classrooms, computer lab, art room, a commercial kitchen, dining area, cultural space, exam rooms, employee offices, an indoor half-court gymnasium, and a weight room.  Exterior features will include an outdoor basketball court and walking trails. It will serve 30 youth at a time and employ 70 full-time employees.
• Project Costs: $15 Million
• Building Envelope:  Shell Building Systems
• Architect: JSRa (Johnson Smitthipong & Roseamund Associates).
• Contractor: Greenberg Construction
• Construction, Land Planning & Engineering: Morton & Pitalo

The No. California Youth Treatment Center Project Story

Opened in 2020, Sacred Oaks provides culturally appropriate substance abuse disorder services to American Indian and Alaskan Native youth ages 12 to 17. The US Department of Health & Human Services in conjunction with Indian Health Services is committed to providing mental health care professionals, medical providers and traditional healers who will work in partnership to preserve cultural traditions to treat the whole person.

Sacred Oaks is the second IHS Youth Regional Treatment Center in California; the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center opened in Hemet in 2017. Previously, most of California’s Native American youth who receive residential chemical dependency treatment were sent out-of-state to non-IHS or non-tribal facilities that do not always meet the unique cultural needs of Native American youth.

“The two Youth Regional Treatment Centers in California are important parts of our efforts to help thousands of Native American youth in California who need residential care, “ said IHS California Area Director Beverly Miller, MHA, MBA. “These centers will provide mental health care professionals, medical providers, and traditional healers who will work in concert to treat the whole person.”

Health & The Environment Top Design Criteria

In line with cultural appreciation and preservation of agriculture, the environment and wildlife, the center was designed with health of its residents and the environment at top of mind.  To best take advantage the designers took today’s most innovative sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental practices into the science and design of the project.  NYRTC, Sacred Oaks, chose Premier SIPS to for the building envelope to help achieve Net-Zero Energy status. The SIPs framed structure worked in conjunction with other sustainable design elements to help the Treatment Center achieve LEED Platinum Certification.

Premier SIPs In Action

With 8” exterior wall panels and 12” roof panels, the use of SIPs substantially reduced labor costs. Premier SIPS panels are manufactured in a factory environment, with precision CNC routers cutting large panels precisely according to the building plans.  Each SIP is connected to the next with an insulated spline connection, and dimensional lumber was installed at the plant at window & door openings, which might otherwise be done on site.  The result of offsite construction offered significant savings, in jobsite waste, as well as building installation time. In fact, projects like this are framed/installed and sheathed in one step with Premier SIPs in half of what it would have been if this was framed with 2×6, steel or other framing methods.

High Performance Structures Easily Achieve Environmental Credentialing 

With extremely hot summer temperatures in the Central Valley of California, and colder temps in the winter months, SIPs were a must for this build. Premier SIPS roof and walls are extremely airtight, and helped created a 65% savings in energy efficiency – which added to the Zero-Energy regional requirements, as well as Energy Star Certification and LEED Platinum.

Two of the buildings have curved walls and roof which follow the radius of the round house which is located in the courtyard.  The round house circumference is just over 100’ with a 14’ radius.  The round house wall panels are segmented to allow for the curved radius of the building. All curved wall panels were factory fabricated during the panel manufacturing process.

SIPs & Solar Pair to Create a Net Positive Energy Structure

From a performance stand point NYRTC, Sacred Oaks generates enough energy to power itself as well as give energy back to the grid.  Also known as a “Net Positive Energy” structure this is achieved by pairing a renewable energy source (solar or geothermal) with a high performing building envelope. The 12.43 kw PV solar panels chosen in this project were installed on the roof to generate energy from the sun.

The Data – Numbers Tell the Story Best

By the numbers, the Premier SIPs building envelope received exceptionally high performing HERS score of -19.  In addition, a Blower Door Test was completed with a result of .047 ACH 50. Paired with the solar energy gains, the energy use intensity is at a surplus of 4250 KWh (net-positive energy). This is equivalent to enough electricity to drive 10,000 miles in an electric car at 2.6 mi/KWh.

Sustainability Beyond the Structure

Additional sustainable systems to enhance indoor environments and preserve energy consumption include HVAC components which achieve ASHRAE 135 compliance.  Low VOC finishes such as paint, adhesives, and sealants.  No gas burning appliances, 100% storm water collection/infiltrated on-site.  20% water use reduction is possible by using all WaterSense Certified fixtures. 58% of the walkways, driveways and patios are permeable.  80% of the 4.93 acres is undisturbed field grass and native prairie with less than 3% of the lot being turf grass.  Fruits, vegetables, and native plants complete the landscaping.  Wester Red Cedar trees will provide a windbreak along the northern property line.

The entire structure has battery wiring and Alexa-controlled blinds, LED lighting, and electronics to ensure the residents are future-ready, while leaving only a light net-zero emissions footprint.