The new 2.5-acre campus for the Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist located in the Seacliff neighborhood of Aptos, California is an exceedingly environmentally conscious first of three phases of expansion. The building was designed to allow the church to increase its activities, given that additional space was required for musical concerts, social events, and other community engagement initiatives.

A collaboration with design architect Warren Callister, the campus features drought-tolerant landscaping and other ecologically sustainable aspects. Namely, the church features one of the country’s largest rainwater-collection systems and is expected to save 150,000 gallons of water each year or, according to the local water district, the annual water of two households. The rainwater, which is collected on the roof of the new facility and flows to the tank for storage, will be used for irrigation. Additional ecological moves include permeable pavement that encourages water to percolate into the ground rather than the storm drain, extensive use of natural lighting throughout the building, and the removal of garbage disposals in the commercial kitchen.