Every day is Earth Day at the Utah Botanical Center, but being home to a new building that is among the state’s most environmentally friendly structures and dedicating a new arboretum make spring 2009 especially notable.

Wetland Discovery Point is the home of education programs at the UBC and was designed and built to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification, the highest ranking awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. The building is currently being reviewed for certification. There are just 94 Platinum certified buildings in the United States and none are in Utah.

 

At the dedication in November 2008, architect Jill Jones, of Salt Lake City-based AJC Architects, explained some of the features that make Wetland Discovery Point an outstanding example of sustainable design and construction. A slideshow illustrating the design features, accompanied by Jones’ remarks about Wetland Discovery Point is available online. The roof design, which mimics the wings of creatures that live in the surrounding wetland, gathers rain and snow that is channeled into a cistern. The harvested water is used to flush toilets and irrigate the landscape. The building incorporates low water use fixtures and is surrounded by drought-tolerant plants, requiring 30 percent less water than would be used by more traditional plumbing and landscaping.

 

Because the sun is lower in the sky during winter months, the angle of the roof allows sunlight to strike a large concrete wall in the building which releases heat into the classroom space, but the roof overhang shades the wall in the summer. All the wood used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council which monitors the forestry practices of lumber companies and certifies those that use sustainable timber management.

 

Construction crews sorted waste materials and ultimately recycled 95 percent of the construction waste, Jones said. A solar hot water heater will reduce energy use and a number of solar panels will eventually be in place to power the building and even feed electricity back to the grid.

 

The building puts visitors in the wetland; part of it overhangs the edge of one of the UBC’s ponds visible from I-15. Jones pointed out that the design focuses attention on the outdoors even when visitors are inside. Care was also taken to minimize light pollution from the building and its outdoor lighting.

 

The 3,200 sq. ft. building — built by Big-D Construction — and the surrounding wetland have been pressed into action in its first spring season in 2009 as the center of activity for UBC field trips. More than 4,000 school children visit the UBC each year on field trips to explore topics that include wetland ecology, energy conservation, wise water use, horticulture, water quality and wildlife biology.

 

During the building’s dedication, Jones praised UBC and USU administrators for demonstrating their commitment to innovation and wise use of resources.

 

USU President Stan Albrecht spoke at the dedication as well.

 

“We are in turbulent times,” he said in November. “Many of us wake up wondering if we will find the bottom of all this any time soon. But when we see projects like this, we see the future.”

 

To celebrate Arbor Day 2009, the UBC officially opens the new Varga Arboretum Friday, April 24. The heart of the collection of more than 150 trees and shrubs is a group of 57 trees transplanted from Utah State University’s former Farmington Botanical Garden. The trees were painstakingly moved from that site to their new home in 1999 when highway expansion displaced the former garden. The new arboretum is designed with trees and shrubs planted in zones based on their irrigation needs. The Varga Arboretum is a great addition to the center’s education efforts and is a living demonstration for homeowners and landscapers who are seeking plants that conserve water resources while enriching the environment. The arboretum honors William A. Varga, former director of the Utah Botanical Center.

 

 

Contact: David Anderson, (435) 797-1984, david.anderson@usu.edu
Writer: Lynnette Harris, (435) 797-2189, lynnette.harris@usu.edu

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