The Pavilion at Little Lake features an expansive glass facade and creates space for community gathering while supporting overall University of California Merced campus goals of health and connection to the outdoors.
Atelier Ten worked with the design team to develop a building massing and open interior that prioritize daylight access and connection to the outside. An uninterrupted view of the lake is shaded by a deep overhang over the south facade to minimize unwanted solar gain. This strategy reduces cooling energy demand and improves thermal comfort while providing an open and welcoming space for students to congregate both insid and outside of the building.
The 600-seat dining hall serves as a programmatic bridge and supports UC Merced’s campus walkability goals.
The Pavilion supports the campus goal of Zero Net Energy through energy efficient design. The project is predicted to perform 40% better than a code compliance building due to abundant daylight and efficient lighting, efficient space heating and water heating, efficient kitchen appliances, and connection to UC Merced’s central plant for cooling. The building exceeded expectations by surpassing the LEED Gold requirement and achieving LEED Platinum certification.
