Naturally green education:
The LEED Platinum San Elijo Nature Center educates the public on one of California’s remaining coastal wetlands
Marcy Marro,
Posted
11/01/2009
In
California, more than 90 percent of all coastal wetlands are lost
forever because of development. The San Elijo Lagoon is
one of the few remaining coastal wetlands of San Diego County and
is home to 700 specie of animals and plants. The lagoon stretches
along the coast between Solana Beach and the Encinitas and is part
of the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, a county and state
regional park of nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of diverse
habitats, including six plant communities and 7 miles (11 km) of
trails.
Completed in January, the 5,600-square foot(520-m2) San Elijo
Lagoon Nature Center in Encinitas, Calif., serves to educate and
encourage exploration of the San Elijo Lagoon. The LEED Platinum
certified building features state-of-the-art, museum-quality
exhibits interpreting the natural and cultural resources of the
lagoon, as well as the environment and sustainable design features
of the building.
The two-story building is made from recyclable materials and
features a cool metal roof; a 517-square-foot (48-m2) green roof
that includes native plants such as Yarrow, Dudleya and Blue Eyed
Grass; natural daylighting and ventilation; low-VOC materials;
stormwater retention and management; and 36 photovoltaic panels
from Sunpower Corp., San Jose, Calif.
According to Ruth Fajarit-Davis, AIA, LEED AP, with Zagrodnik &
Thomas Architects,San Diego, almost all of the rooms are daylit and
have extensive views of the lagoon. Interactive exhibits showcase
the surrounding diverse plant and animal communities, while also
explaining the history of the area and the importance of the
watershed.
"The building
itself serves as a component of the education features of the
project," Fajarit-Davis said. "Cut-aways in the floors and walls
expose the radiant heat piping and the purple recycled water pipes.
Additional exhibit panels throughout the building explain the
photovoltaic panels, green roof and other sustainable design
elements."
Challenger Sheet Metal, San Diego, handcrafted
the metal roof using 4,400 square feet (409 m2) of 24-gauge coil
stock sheets from McElroy Metal Inc., Bossier City, La. Challenger
also handcrafted the fascia and soffit materials. The standing-seam
metal roof has an Ash Gray cool roof coating by Minneapolis based
Valspar that helps to reflect heat from the building. The metal
roof was regionally manufactured using pre-consumer and post
consumer material. CETCO, Hoffman Estates,Ill., supplied the
StrongSeal SA waterproofing underlayment made from recycled tire
rubber that was used under the metal roof.
"The cool metal roof serves both in aesthetical and sustainable
design," Fajarit- Davis said. "The wavy metal roof is an organic
shape that contrasts and complements the adjacent concrete and
masonry materials. It is a distinctive design feature of the
building."
San Elijo
Nature Center, Encinitas, Calif.
Owner: County of San Diego Parks and Recreation
Architect: Zagrodnik & Thomas Architects, San Diego
General contractor: Riha Construction, La Mesa, Calif.
Sheet metal contractor: Challenger Sheet Metal, San Diego
Coating: Valspar, Minneapolis
Photovoltaic panels: Sunpower Corp., San Jose, Calif.
Sheet metal: McElroy Metal Inc., Bossier City, La.
Waterproofing underlayment: CETCO, Hoffman Estates,
Ill.
www.valspar.com; www.sunpowercorp.com; www.mcelroymetal.com; www.cetco.com