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White Deer Park Nature CenterExpansive roof structure incorporates sustainable products to lessen ecological footprint and offset lifecycle costs
The idea of an agricultural shed formed the simple design of the structure, which has a prominent roof for shade and water collection.
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The White Deer Park Nature Center, located in a town park that was
once a blueberry farm in Garner, NC, is an environmental education
center with interpretative exhibits and live programs about the
surrounding natural habitat. The mission of the facility is to provide
environmental education with an emphasis on global, local and
individual conservation of natural resources.
The idea of an agricultural shed informed the simple design of this structure which has a prominent roof for shade and water collection. The Nature Center lessens its ecological footprint and offsets lifecycle costs via an expansive roof structure that works with available natu-ral resources and innovative sustainable products. The building is similar in size to an average modern home (2,500 sq.ft.). Many of its sustainable features are strate-gies that the average person could incorporate in their own home because they are available throughout the U.S.
Site grading was kept to a minimum. The concrete
slab and Nor Carla bluestone flooring make up about half of the building’s footprint. The classroom and exte-rior deck rest lightly on concrete piers.
The building has an east-west orientation and is nes-tled among the trees for additional shading. The roof provides shelter from the sun’s rays in the summer and allows sunlight in during winter months. Thermal mass in the concrete and stone flooring allows heat to be col-lected from the sun during the day (solar gain) and then released to help heat the building throughout the cold winter nights.
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CROSS SECTION
1. learning deck
2. classroom
3. exhibit
4. deer
1. learning deck
2. rail exhibit
3. classroom
4. storage room
5. office
6. exhibit
7. reception
8. office
9. deer
10. entry
11. women’s restroom
12. mechanical room
13. men’s restroom
14. rain barrels
FLOOR PLAN
12 3 4
1
2
34
5
7
6
8
11
10
12
13
14
9
The wood floor in the classroom was reclaimed from a 1940s farmhouse on-site.
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Hot water is produced using solar panels on the roof and rain water is funneled into a large gutter and collected in two cisterns where it is treated and then used for toilets.
The materials used in the construction of the Nature Center were organized as part of a three-fold strategy: local and salvaged materials; rapidly renewable mate-rials; and high-performance composite materials. The wood floor in the classroom was reclaimed from a 1940s farmhouse on site. A local business provided slate sal-
vaged from a local high school for use as caps on seat walls throughout the park.
Other materials were specified and sourced within a 500 mile radius of the site. Materials found outside that radius were only used if they were especially sustainable and valuable from an educational perspective. Eastern white cedar siding and Nor Carla bluestone are indigenous to North Carolina and the eastern seaboard. Parallam beams are a composite material made up of many smaller tree particles and old growth trees are not used in their production. Plyboo sheets, similar to plywood, are made of many pieces of bamboo, a highly durable grass. Both Parallam and Plyboo are made from rapidly renewable resources. Recycled materials include a recycled plastic deck and recycled glass and concrete countertops.
ARCHITECT
RATIO Architects Inc.Raleigh, NC
CLIENT
Town of GarnerGarner, NC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Stewart EngineeringRaleigh, NC
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
George Raper and Son (GR&S)Raleigh, NC
PME ENGINEER & SUSTAINABIL ITY CONSULTANT
Isaac PanzarellaRaleigh, NC
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
OBS Landscape ArchitectsRaleigh, NC
PHOTOGRAPHY
James WestRaleigh, NC
The building is nestled among the trees for shading. Rainwater is funneled and collected in two cisterns where it is treated and used for toilets.
