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Press Releases
Greenbridge Breaks Ground
(10.08.07)
Habitat To Spend €59.5 Million on Ecourban Offices in Barcelona
(7.12.05)
Frito-Lay Distribution Center a Prototype for Environmentally Intelligent Design
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Guangtang Chuangye Park Will Please the People of Liuzhou
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McDonough To Headline 2005 FORTUNE Global Forum
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Nation's Top Environmental Design Award Presented to William McDonough
(10.20.04)
Two DC Chapter/AIA Awards for Aspect
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Woods Hole Research Center
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Atlanta International Museum Exhibit
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DC Chapter/AIA Award for Nike EHQ
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Adoption of the CERES Principles
(06.07.01)
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Kentucky’s Bernheim Arboretum Earns Top Green Building Rating
LEED Platinum Certification is first at this level in Kentucky and surrounding region.
Clermont, KY — The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Bernheim with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for construction of its Visitor Center. This is the highest level award one can receive for green building practices and the first Platinum rating awarded to a building in Kentucky or the surrounding region—Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee.
After a successful capital campaign led by the Board of Trustees and staff, Bernheim worked with the architecture and community design firm William McDonough + Partners to create a design based around the idea: “imagine a building like a tree.” The William McDonough + Partners team collaborated with the architect of record, Barnette Bagley Architects of Lexington. The large team of passionate professionals (see quotes below) also included Gray Construction and Prajna Design/Construction, both of whom were integral to the execution of the project.
By integrating the client’s mission of “connecting people with nature” and a sustaining design agenda, this visitors center intentionally blurs the distinction between indoors and out, uniting architectural and garden spaces with a combination of pergolas, trellises, arbors, and glass. As the public threshold for the arboretum and research forest, the new Center functions as the portal and point of introduction for visitors to this 14,000-acre arboretum. The open, double-height spaces in and around the central commons encourage interaction between arriving and departing visitors and staff. Like the forest of which it is a part, the building captures sunlight and rainwater to the benefit of the surrounding landscape. The Center also explores the theme of the building as teacher, making its sustaining strategies like passive and active solar design, geothermal heating and cooling, and local and regional materials part of the exhibition.
“The Visitor Center helps set the stage for storytelling about sustainability, and great stories are the bedrock of meaningful education. The project helps illuminate the spiritual, biological and economic advantages of living in agreement with nature. We wanted to translate that mission into the design of our Visitor Center and truly blur the distinction between indoors and outdoors,” said Claude Stephens, Bernheim’s Education Director.
Protecting the natural habitat was a priority. The site itself was chosen in part to nestle among evergreen trees to the north, and deciduous trees to the south, optimizing seasonal shading and cooling potential. Only eight trees greater than four inches in diameter were removed, and these were cut into lumber or ground into mulch. When the landscaping for the project matures there will be more plants growing on the site than before the construction—the building created a new green space.
The building is assembled mainly from cypress wood that was sourced from old H.J. Heinz pickle vats and from old bourbon rack house lumber from Brown-Forman Corporation and Jim Beam Brands. Native Kentucky woods like the Kentucky coffee tree, shagbark hickory, cherry, walnut, sassafras, hackberry and black locust were also used in the interior. To offset the use of wood, Bernheim planted 256 cypress trees to create a new Cypress-Tupelo Swamp along a lake at Bernheim.
Bernheim relies on green methods to run the Visitor Center including a “rain garden” planted with water-loving trees like the water tupelo and bald cypress, which helps hold onto and purify the water. To accommodate the largest user of water in the building - toilets - water is harvested from the roof and held in an 8,000-gallon underground cistern. Water features are central to the design, even down to a sloped parking lot surface to carry runoff containing pollutants to oyster mushrooms beds, which help transform these pollutants into compounds that don’t harm the environment.
John Davies, Director, Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Kentucky Governor's Office of Energy Policy
“This is an outstanding achievement for Bernheim Forest and Kentucky. It demonstrates that when all stakeholders work together in building design and construction great accomplishments are attainable. Worldwide there are only 68 buildings with a LEED Platinum certification, having one in Kentucky is truly a high honor.”
W. Austin Musselman, Jr., President, Board of Trustees
“Almost a decade ago, Bernheim was already planting the seeds for a sustainable building. The environmentally friendly Visitor Center is only one part of the many exciting advancements that have occurred as a result of our capital campaign. We’re so proud of the center, which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the generous donors that shared our vision, and we hope that it will serve as a model for other sustainable construction in our communities, certified or not.”
William McDonough, FAIA, founding partner, William McDonough + Partners
“The idea of ‘a building like a tree’ had special resonance for this project. This is a metaphor that I have talked about for many years, and it really shaped the process here. I applaud the organization’s effort to reach for—and achieve—the industry’s best known benchmark, LEED Certification at the Platinum level. We salute Bernheim, a treasure of Kentucky, for being a catalyst in the state and region.”
Kevin Burke, AIA, partner, William McDonough + Partners
“The primary design objective for the Bernheim Visitor Center was deceptively simple: connect people with nature. In order to meet this objective while also meeting the highest levels of environmental performance, the design team had the distinct pleasure of connecting with the extraordinary Bernheim community—one of rare spirit, commitment, talent and tenacity. The building and its achievements are testimony to the persistence of the Bernheim community’s vision.”
Lee Rambo Bagley, AIA, Barnette Bagley Architects
“Beginning with our work to assist Bernheim in updating its Olmsted created Master Plan, we have been honored to be a part of such a dedicated group of visionaries selflessly developing this vital project. The project team has truly extended Mr. Bernheim's gift and built a valuable legacy in the giant's wonderful garden.”
Greg Jackson, Architect, LEED AP; Principal, TOPIA design
“The design integrates the functional and inspirational goals with green design principles to create a unified synergetic expression. The building elements and form serve all project intentions holistically. The design approach reflects the belief that green design is simply good design.”
Rob Frederick, Development and Marketing Committee Chair, Board of Trustees
“I’ve taken my five and two year old daughters to the Visitor Center and seen them swept away by the place. It was designed with nature and future generations in mind and captures the spirit and imagination just like being in the forest itself.”
Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council
“Bernheim’s Visitor Center is to be commended for achieving LEED certification. This facility is one that both the community and its customers can be proud of. This will be a showcase for high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy sustainable living, and an inspiration for others.”
Roger Fauver, Bernheim Operations Director
“The construction of our new Visitor Center was a terrific learning process for all of us connected with its design, construction, and its everyday use. We realized our original dream of having a ‘double green’ building – we went for and achieved extraordinary green design.”
About William McDonough + Partners
William McDonough + Partners is a design firm of 46 architects, planners, designers, and support staff. Our work is based on a philosophical foundation rooted in the Cradle to Cradle thinking developed by William McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart in their 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things. We serve clients worldwide from our studios in Charlottesville, Virginia and San Francisco, California.
About Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 14,000 acre privately-owned non-profit organization nestled in the scenic Kentucky knoblands in Clermont, Kentucky. Bernheim is Kentucky’s Official Arboretum, encompassing a 250-acre nationally-recognized arboretum, landscaped gardens, tranquil lakes, and a 14,000-acre research forest managed as a natural area.
About the USGBC’s LEED Rating System
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third party rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Projects are evaluated within six environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the industry standard of measurement for green building.
December 20, 2007
Contact:
Kira Gould, Director of Communications,
William McDonough + Partners
kgould@mcdonough.com
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