walking mountains science center
LEED Platinum Certified
avon, colorado
LEED Platinum Certified
avon, colorado
Opened to the public in August of 2011,the Walking Mountains Science Center serves as a prime example of sustainable design, and was awarded LEED Platinum certification on 15 January 2013. I served as Project Manager, Architect of Record and LEED project Administrator for this 12,000 sf environmental education facility located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains close to the ski resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek.
2012 Colorado Renewable Energy Society - Renewable Energy in Buildings Award
2012 Mountain Living - Responsible Development Award
The center’s focus on environmentally conscious design was intended to play an active role in the education of its students – with an emphasis on maximizing energy efficiency, minimizing building footprints and protecting the natural ecosystem. A few of the sustainability features include:
The center’s focus on environmentally conscious design was intended to play an active role in the education of its students – with an emphasis on maximizing energy efficiency, minimizing building footprints and protecting the natural ecosystem. A few of the sustainability features include:
A high performance project required a high performance team that included Seattle design architect Mithun and a host of Colorado based consultants including: Sherry Dorward, Landscape Architect; Beaudin Ganze, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing; Monroe Newell, Structural; JK Engineering, Civil Engineer; Slifer Design, Interior Designer; Condit, Exhibit Designer; and RA Nelson, General Contractor.
Walking Mountains Science Center is a local non-profit organization that offers a diverse curriculum of programs utilizing new learning labs and outdoor classrooms to connect adults, families and children living in or visiting the Vail Valley to the natural world. Programs include guided nature hikes, children’s nature camps, guest speaker series, geology, ecology and more.
Client: Walking Mountains Science Center
Reference: Markian Fedushak (970.827.9725 x 111)
General Contractor: RA Nelson & Associates
Construction Cost: $6,097,683 (including site and utilities)
Multiple small buildings were chosen to minimize site impact and to create outdoor teaching and gathering space. Connections between buildings were sheltered, but not enclosed to promote a connection to the outdoor environment. The canopy between the buildings is vegetated and also serves to collect and filter rain and snow from the roofs before being discharged into the surrounding preserved wetlands.
Walking Mountains Science Center is the 2012 winner of the Mountain Living Magazine Responsible Development Award for Tourism. The project was featured in the March/April 2012 Issue.
The overall site design concept was the idea of threshold and edge. In nature it is the thresholds between ecosystems that host the most diversity. The design team utilized the buildings and vegetated canopy to form a threshold between the world of man and cars and that of the natural learning environment.
A 33.4 kwh Photovoltaic array covers the south roofs of the primary campus buildings and is optimally oriented to maximize production. Over a third of the annual campus electrical need will be provided by these panels. Solar thermal collectors on the wall above the vegetated canopy are positioned to minimize summer production when there if virtually no demand for hot water. Winter production is optimized because the collectors are protected from snow accumulation and receive reflected light off snow that accumulates on the canopy.
A lantern in the Meadow - The Meadow Learning Studio is a single room classroom building at the edge of a wetland meadow overlooking an old farm pond. The entire roof is planted with meadow grasses and a deep southern overhang shelters a wide deck outside a wrap around fully glazed wall.
The entire campus avoids mechanical cooling by presenting a shallow north-south building profile with limited interior partitions. The natural daily up and down valley air flows are captured by the building forms. Over 95% of the occupied spaces are naturally day lit and artificial lighting is controlled with daylight and occupancy sensors to dramatically reduce the lighting energy requirement.
Exposed polished concrete floors maximize the efficiency of the in-floor radiant heat and provide mass to store passive solar energy and they are also fun and comfortable to sit on during learning sessions.
Two nine foot diameter watershed maps, the first of the Colorado River Drainage and the second of the Eagle River Drainage, are connected by an abstract river inlay that leads from the front door out to Buck Creek (a tributary of the Eagle). These maps are both teaching tools and elements that ground the visitor to the place and tells the story of western water.
Eagle County Commissioner Jon Stavney (right) speaks with Markian Feduschak (left), Executive Director of Walking Mountains Science Center and Adam Palmer, Eagle County's Environmental Policy Planner. The show was recorded at the Walking Mountains campus in Avon, Colorado and includes a tour of many of the interactive exhibits and educational facilities.
Mountain Discovery Center (MDC) - Main Level Plan.
This level houses the primary public functions including the Discovery Center interactive exhibits and public restrooms. The central mechanical and electrical plants are located here as is a multi-purpose classroom and back-of-house spaces.
This level houses the primary public functions including the Discovery Center interactive exhibits and public restrooms. The central mechanical and electrical plants are located here as is a multi-purpose classroom and back-of-house spaces.
Mountain Discovery Center (MDC) - Upper Level Plan.
This level is reserved for the administrative staff and educators. Open plans promote natural lighting and ventilation and impromptu collaboration on lesson plans while conference rooms provide private and quiet spaces.
This level is reserved for the administrative staff and educators. Open plans promote natural lighting and ventilation and impromptu collaboration on lesson plans while conference rooms provide private and quiet spaces.
Field Studies Base Camp (FSBC) - Main Level Plan
This building is designed as the workhorse for the campus. It's large main room can host lectures for 90 people or be rented for special events as a revenue source. Divided, the room becomes twin classrooms or laboratories that are fully wired with the latest smart technology.
This building is designed as the workhorse for the campus. It's large main room can host lectures for 90 people or be rented for special events as a revenue source. Divided, the room becomes twin classrooms or laboratories that are fully wired with the latest smart technology.
Section through the Meadow Learning Studio. This building has a full meadow grass vegetated roof and is the first visible building upon arriving to the campus. It was designed as a "lantern in the meadow" to be a place of immersion in the natural environment. Once inside this essentially one room classroom building no other development is visible on the property. From the other buildings the vegetated roof along with heavy planting along the north wall will give the impression of a section of the meadow lifted into the air.
An early focus of the design was maximizing the efficiency of the building envelope. Careful attention was paid to the elimination of thermal breaks within the walls, roof, floor and the transitions between these elements. Poor soils on the site required 65 foot deep foundations and structural slabs and eliminated continuous exterior insulation as an effective solution. Here we see one of my early concepts for the wall to floor transition produced on graph paper during a meeting with the contractor and mechanical engineer.
