The Country's Largest ZNE Community Welcomes Its First Tenants at UC Davis

shaded windows at UC Davis West Village (credit: Frederic Larson)

The country's largest planned ZNE community of its kind has officially opened on the University of California at Davis campus.

While it may seem like just your typical-yet stylish housing development, look beyond the amenities (which include a video game-playing area and sand volleyball court) and you'll see solar panels on the roof of every building and parking area canopy. In total, the panels provide a 4-megawatt photovoltaic system that will generate enough electricity over the course of the year to meet all the needs of the residents, planners say.

The development, dubbed UC Davis West Village, is a joint public-private partnership with funding from UC Davis, San Francisco real estate developers Carmel Partners, Urban Villages of Denver (who oversaw construction and own and manage the community) and grants from state and federal government.  

The first phase of the development now houses about 850 students.

Learn more about UC Davis West Village. 

Nation's Largest ZNE Development Gets Preview

Artist Rendering of UC Davis, West Village (Illustration by Transparent House, Inc.)

An exciting new zero net energy housing development at the University of California, Davis is currently underway.  Described as the largest ZNE development of its kind in the U.S., the college's West Village is a 130-acre, mixed-used development with apartment housing for 2,000 students, an education center for Los Rios Community College, recreation and study facilities, a village square surrounded by retail, and 343 single-family homes for sale to faculty and staff.

The highlight of the project is a four-megawatt high efficiency solar system designed to produce 100 percent of the electricity requirements for the entire community.

The site recently welcomed officials, including California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, to a pre-opening tour.

Read more about the project here.

An Eco Community Comes to an End, While a New One Begins

The Baggins End domes of UC Davis (1972)

This is an interesting article from the Contra Costa Times regarding two different takes on sustainable student housing at UC Davis - a 1970s experiment in communal living (The Baggins End domes) and a 21 century eco-friendly neighborhood in the same community. The domes will close later this year, due to costly repairs, but the new project is expected to be one of the largest zero net energy communities in the country when it's completed. Regardless of which living style you prefer, it's fascinating how far the "environmental movement" has come ...

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