Jun 9 2008
The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach takes center stage this spring, with the opening of their highly anticipated building and learning center.
Designed by the seasoned sustainability experts at LPA, Inc., the ENC is on track to become the first LEED Platinum building in Orange County, pending approval from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The sustainable strategies implemented by LPA will potentially save the ENC over $20,000 on an annual basis.
Set within the suburbs of Orange County, the ENC provides hands on education with nature and demonstrates indigenous California vegetation and habitats. The new facility adds an additional educational tool that will showcase smart green design.
"The sustainable elements that make up this learning center will demonstrate to students and visitors that green design is the wave of the future," said Bo Glover, Executive Director of the ENC (http://www.encenter.org/). "LPA understood that we were in need of a building to complement our commitment to natural science education."
The 9,000-square-foot facility is located on a 3.5-acre site at 1601 16th Street in Newport Beach, CA. It provides 16,000 students the opportunity to study local ecology in 15 on-site, native Southern California plant communities.
LPA, Inc., one of the largest architectural, planning, landscape, engineer and interior design firms in California, developed the facility for the ENC together with Griffin Structures (http://www.griffinholdings.net/), Inc., which provided program management. By using a holistic, integrated design approach, where architects and engineers work together from the beginning of a project through its completion, LPA was able to offer a cohesive vision for a building that was unified and sustainable from the ground up.
"We integrated sustainability into every aspect of this building," comments Rick D'Amato, design principle at LPA, Inc. "The learning center educates visitors about the benefits of environmentally-conscious design through the application of new technologies. These include powering the building from renewable resources such as solar panels and maintaining the health of the ENC staff and visitors through the implementation of green design (http://www.lpainc.com/) strategies which provide a healthier indoor environment."
Sustainable features at the ENC include: optimized building orientation; bicycle storage and shower facilities; drought tolerant, indigenous landscape; fixtures that promote water conservation - such as waterless urinals and low-flow faucets; efficient storm water management and daylight harvesting.
Photovoltaic roof panels convert light into power and provide for 100 percent of the building's power needs making the ENC a "net zero" building, a new model for sustainability (http://www.lpainc.com/).
Guests enjoy natural ventilation without the use of heating and/or air conditioning, dimming systems and occupancy sensors, an aggressive Sustainable Education program, heat island reduction, and green housekeeping techniques and products.
The extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials includes: insulation made of recycled blue jeans; natural linoleum for countertops - 100% organic and recyclable; composite wood for exterior skin made from saw dust and natural resin; pressed organic materials for millwork and shelving units; natural concrete; carpet tiles with high recycled content and recycled fabrics/finishes for furnishings and work stations.
LPA's principal in charge of the project is Jim Wirick, with Rick D'Amato serving as design principal and Dave Duff as project manager. The scope of LPA services involved planning, design, programming, architecture, landscape and interior design services. Lake Forest, CA-based Culp & Tanner served as the structural engineer. Griffin Structures served as the program manager, with Gentosi Builders acting as the general contractor.
The Grand Green Opening for the ENC is invite only. To be included on the Media Entrance List, please RSVP to Rochelle Veturis at (949) 701-4148 or e-mail rveturis @ LPAinc.com.