Bob, you’ve been in the new building for a little over a year, the formal opening was last August 11. What’s your overall impression about what it’s been like?
Bob: The Esther Underwood Johnson Nature Center really is a gem! When we moved in, we didn’t really have time to appreciate all its features. We started to move in on June 15; we were in and set up shop by June 19—and day camp started on June 20! We felt like we were jumping on a train that was moving at 100 mph, but as the season rolled along we had a chance to discover the building’s advantages. It just works so well; it’s cool, roomy, handsome and wonderful portal to the outdoors.
What changes has it made in the programs the sanctuary is able to offer?
Bob: The programs have not changed substantially because we needed to put the building over so much of what we were already doing. Plus, so much of what we do is outdoors.
That said, though, having the day camp building is huge. It creates a day camp campus with its o
wn entry and its own classrooms and bathrooms. It keeps campers separate from other visitors and lessens distractions for staff and sanctuary visitors.
Two other big changes were in the exhibit hall space and the comfort level within the building. In the Eleanor Longley Exhibit Hall we can now offer rainy day programs, which we didn’t have space for in the old building and docents are now interpreting the exhibits, giving green building tours, and educating people about the natural history of the sanctuary.
What do visitors say about the building? What questions do you get most often?
Bob: People come into the building and say, “Wow, this is spectacular!” One of the exhibit designers expressed it best. The original building was nice, but it seemed as if we were trying to squeeze so much into it. Now, in this space, everything seems to flow a lot better. People have a higher comfort level. An example is the store. We actually have less retail space there than the store in the old building, but we are selling more. I think the reason is that people enjoy being there—the light from the window and the breeze and the ease of moving around. It’s the perception of space and light that the design has created.
Visitors often ask, “Why is this building air conditioned?” Of course it’s not air conditioned, but it’s the building taking advantage of the breezes off the bay. It just breathes naturally and we keep cool.
Our architect, Andrew Miao, and the staff at Architectural Design Inc. wrote an interesting article on the thought process that goes into a green building that helps people understand.
Overall, has it changed the visitor experience at the sanctuary?
Bob: Yes and no. The trails and wildlife remain unchanged by the new building. We didn’t add any parking spaces in order to preserve the quality of the visitor experience. The garden was completely replanted and attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and birds in general. The building does give us a chance to better prepare the first time and casual visitor for the natural environment that awaits them outside.
I understand there is a gift that will help visitors understand what makes the building green. Could you tell us about that?
Bob: We received a very generous donation to create a green building trail guide, a guide to all the green features. There will be 10 or 12 stops that will each have a “factoid” that highlights one element of the green design, alternative energy, recycled materials or another element of the green construction. Where we can, we’ll hang a piece of material to show what we’re talking about. Each stop will give part of the answer to why this building is green.
We will have a map of the “green” trail through the building. This will have more detail on why the building is green. At the end it will say to go online if you want to know more. We’ll flesh out the detail there with the blog and a virtual tour of the building.
Are you looking at other projects that use the greenness of the building as a backdrop?
Bob: Yes, we want to do a middle school program that supports subjects in their curriculum. They have subjects like photovoltaic cells for solar energy, wind energy, green building and recycling. Our building illustrates these subjects. We’d really like to have a program, but there are a lot of children in the middle schools and we just don’t have the resources at present. If anyone knows of a funding source that we could approach, that would be great. If they could help us make the approach, that would be even better!
Do you have a “next step” in the works?
The next big step is to look at the possibility of putting up a wind turbine. We are nearing the end of the bird and bat studies and we haven’t found the birds to be an issue. Bats are attracted by the sound of the turbine and then can’t dodge the moving blades. We hope to do a study with BU focusing on them next summer.
We are considering a 250-killowatt turbine for this site. The picture is a simulation of how it would look viewed from Silver Spring.
Another option would be to buy a piece of land on the Cape, put up a 660-killowatt, municipal turbine, and sell the excess electricity. Then we could consider heating the building with electricity and buying the proposed Toyota Prius that travels the first 60 miles on electrical power. That would wipe out our oil and gas bills and save us a lot of money!
These are things we want to share—the building itself and how it is affecting the way we do business. We believe everyone on the Cape can benefit from the things we are learning from this green building project.
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