Burbank Water and Power Service Center

The 69,000-SF project includes a new point of entry and photovoltaic canopy system for employee and public parking lots as well as an educational display for photovoltaic technology application. The project is LEED Platinum® Certified.

The design team reinterpreted the Art Deco style of architecture present in Burbank’s historic civic buildings as an architectural style that marries high technology with historic precedent.

In lieu of the army of marching vertical steel supports over a sea of parking, we integrated the structural supports of the photovoltaic panels into a series of concrete running arcades inspired by historic aqueduct structures. The cantilevered PV planes provide weather protection and shade to the main entry and enhance the functionality of the gateway as a welcoming porte cochere. The panels integrate drainage channels that take the water to the ground or provide a glazing plane below the panels for maximum weather protection.