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Following
The LEED
By Matthew B. Ackerman, LEED AIA
CATALYST ARCHITECTURE, LLC
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The new James Learning
Center is nearly complete. The 4,250 square foot off-grid
facility
will be the educational and administrative home for the Highlands
Center for Natural History. Soon to be Prescott's first
LEED
certified building, it will be one of our community's greenest.
I'm
excited not only about the building's notable energy-savings
performance, but also by the fact that the James Learning Center is
Catalyst Architecture's first LEED building as well.
LEED, which
stands for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the US Green Building
Council's rating system for determining a green building. The
LEED
program provides a framework for raising building performance in an
effort to conserve natural resources and maximize occupant
well-being.
LEED emphasizes both state-of-the-art, as well as common sense design
and construction strategies for creating buildings that truly support a
healthy and sustainable future.
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To truly tell my story of
how this special building has come to be, I must backtrack to the
winter of 2001. Having worked for nearly 20 years as an architect
for
more "conventional" firms, my passion for sustainable design and green
building seemed all but stalled. Without knowing exactly where it
would lead me (pun intended), I took the steps in the spring of 2002 to
become LEED accredited. My surprise on becoming Yavapai
County's
first LEED accredited architect was tempered by doubts of whether I'd
ever get the opportunity to actually design a LEED building.
That all changed in the fall
of 2003 when I opened my own business, Catalyst Architecture. I
hung
out my shingle, wrote a mission statement, and within the year an RFP
(request for architectural proposals) for a new LEED building– the
James Learning Center, landed on my desk. I knew most of the
other six
competing firms, both local and non-local architects, who
had also been invited to submit proposals. All were respected in
our
field. I teamed up with colleague Jeffrey L. Zucker, LEED AIA,
the
only other practicing LEED accredited architect in Prescott (and now my
partner at Catalyst), to submit a proposal.
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Because of the technical
demands that the LEED process requires, Jeff and I assembled one of the
most experienced LEED engineering teams in the southwest, including
Kunka Engineering, RTL Lighting, ETA Solar, and Quest Energy Group– all
from the Phoenix area– and all experienced LEED practitioners.
Jeff
and I submitted our team's proposal in October of 2004. The field
was
narrowed down to just two, ours and a well-known architectural firm out
of the valley. Catalyst was awarded the project in November, 2004.
Other
local energy-efficient
experts then joined our team. Tom Haley of Haley Construction,
Prescott's only LEED accredited builder, was selected as the
contractor. Ben Mancini, of EV Solar in Chino Valley was enlisted
for
the photovoltaic installation. Tying it all together was Dr.
Patricia
Olson, LEED, of Ecological By Design, who has been coordinating the
many facets of our LEED documentation process.
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As a point-based rating
system, the LEED program has four different levels of certification;
Basic, Silver, Gold and Platinum. With the James Learning
Center's use
of natural daylight and ventilation, locally harvested materials,
rainwater collection, and a photovoltaic solar array on the roof, our
building is hovering somewhere between the Silver and Gold levels of
LEED certification. Because of the building's careful orientation
and
integrated design, over 70% of its heating and cooling needs will be
met "passively" (without the need for powered heating or cooling).
We're all hoping the building achieves its Gold Rating.
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After the months of
effort
required to give birth to the James Learning Center, it is such an
honor to see this structure proudly standing there, as envisioned,
ready for service. Our dedicated team of design professionals, as
well
as the entire Highlands Center Staff and Board, poured their hearts
into this project– and it shows. The "Butterfly" design, as it
has
come to be known, appears poised for flight. Its roof line, like
giant
outstretched wings, reaches out to collect the sun for warmth and
energy, and the rain for the property's plants and animals. The
building, through its design, demonstrates values consistent with the
Highlands Center's mission to connect with and care for our natural
environment.
What a privilege
it
has been to contribute this work-of-the-heart to both the Highlands
Center organization and our community. |
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