Penn State Intercom......November 2, 2000
Visitor Center architecture
is sensitive to its surroundings
By Bill Campbell
Special to Intercom
Greener
is better at the new Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center. The $3.5
million, 15,000-square-foot building, located at Park Avenue and Porter
Road near Beaver Stadium on the University Park campus, is a joint venture
of the Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Penn State.
"We tried to apply the principles of green architecture, or architecture that is sensitive to the area, to the building," Richard Riccardo, project manager in the Office of Physical Plant, said. "We tried to use only materials indigenous to the region. Green architecture suggests that you don't do anything that the site wouldn't allow you to do."
The building, which was officially dedicated last month, was designed by Susan Maxman architects of Philadelphia, known for sustainable architecture and recognized by the state's Growing Greener program, and Andropogon Associates of Philadelphia, a nationally renowned landscape architecture firm.
"The team focused on an eco-friendly design of the Visitor Center," Eliza Pennypacker, director of campus planning and design in the Office of Physical Plant, said. "It seemed to be an ideal project to celebrate the region's indigenous features, whether it's building or plant materials. It provides visitors an opportunity to see the best that the region has to offer.
"I'm really excited about this project. I think it represents the kind of ecological leadership in which Penn State should take pride. I'm also thrilled with our partnership with the Visitors Bureau on the project. It says a lot about our cumulative pride in this region."
According to Pennypacker, the environmentally sustainable approach to the center's landscaping involves two components. All plant materials are native plants, requiring less maintenance and water than ornamental plants and, therefore, more cost-effective.
"More importantly, they give visitors an opportunity to see how they are used individually in any landscape," she said. "It is an opportunity to remind people that native plants are just as beautiful as the ornamental material we usually use. It is a landscape that is ecologically responsible. At the same time, it will allow visitors and school children to become familiar with native plants, and it provides a research opportunity for Penn State faculty, students and staff."
The other component involves porous pavement in the building parking area that allows rainwater runoff to infiltrate through drainage beds and recharge into the groundwater table. Two small wetlands on the site, planted with native materials, also allow runoff to infiltrate or perk into the ground.
Under a grant from Pennsylvania's Growing Greener project, Brian Dempsey, associate professor of civil engineering, currently is monitoring the flow and quality of stormwater runoff on the site and is comparing it against a traditional parking lot.
Riccardo said environmental concerns were taken into account initially in the siting of the building. It is located high on the site in an east-west configuration to minimize exposure to northwest winds. Large windows on the north face of the building allow as much northern light as possible. On the south face, which is the entry side, the windows are placed in a manner to gain solar heating and warmth.
"By positioning the windows appropriately, you can minimize the space in the building that you have to heat or cool mechanically," he said. "We've minimized the amount of exposure to the building and used as much natural light as possible to minimize use of other lighting."
Another energy efficient effort involves the effluent pipeline, which connects the University's wastewater treatment plant with the spray fields. The excess heat in the pipeline is extracted through a heat exchanger and provides heating and cooling for the building.
Pennypacker said environmental concerns would continue to play a role in future University building projects.
"We are taking steps toward ecological sustainability and design at Penn State," she said. "The Visitor Center is simply the first step. I'm looking forward to seeing many more buildings in the future designed with sustainable principles."