SWEETWATER CREEK— State Park Visitor’s Center and Museum by Gerding Architects, LLC

Gerding saw three green concepts as particularly important to this project, including; composting toilets, a vegetated roof and rainwater collection/re-use. Due to the past contamination of the creek system, Gerding felt it was very important for this building to educate the public, through demonstration, about processing waste on-site without contaminating the ground water with a septic system.

TWIN CREEKS Research, Science and Education Center—Great Smoky Mountains National Park Facility by Lord, Aeck & Sargent

Lord, Aeck & Sargent recognized that even though this project is staffed by a firm and owner/client dedicated to sustainable design, it still requires constant vigilance to reach sustainable goals. The project would have benefited from even earlier involvement of all consultants in the process. The firm found the collaboration with ENSAR Group, an energy/thermal and daylighting optimization consultant, yielded great benefits. At 50 percent design development Lord, Aeck & Sargent was on target to meet LEED™ V2.0/2.1 Silver Level certification at a minimum of 36 points.

The Twin Creeks project is designated as an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site, in addition it will undergo an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory to catalog all living species.

BRUCE CIRCLE— Loft-style Single Family Dwelling by Scott Ball of Community Housing Resource Center

A project of the Community Housing Resource Center (CHRC), this demonstration house has many sustainable design features. CHRC did not, however, evaluate the project by the standards of EarthCraft House or Energy Star—both residential, green rating programs in the Southeast. Although challenging at times, CHRC said the project was extremely educational.

This loft-style home on Bruce Circle is not a typical family dwelling but beneficially includes sustainable design features.

For instance, although insulated, CHRC was not happy with energy performance of the salvaged, wood-framed windows used. Also, after trying several approaches to installing the insulated polycarbonate panels that form the clerestory windows, they finally were able to seal the windows tight (to form the stud framing). Yet another challenge was the large size of the SIPs, which made them difficult to maneuver.

Always addressing the issue of long-term affordability, CHRC continuously incorporates energy efficiency and durability into the costs of consistently operating and maintaining a home.

WILDLIFE CENTER— Dining Hall and Adult Lodge by THW Design

The Wildlife Center had many goals, ultimately aiming to make the center’s presence a ‘polite intrusion,’ giving wildlife the best chance to sustain.

Other sustainable methods included minimizing development impact to the natural systems, dispersing parking to minimize the impact to the terrain, providing positive way-finding, providing a cohesive order and designing architecture to blend into the landscape.

In hindsight, THW believes they could have pushed “green materials” to a greater limit, and a system for generating on-site energy to create a self-sustaining project could have been employed.

THW also had difficulty finding sources for Certified Wood Products, stating “the market didn’t promote access to the supply needed.”

The Wildlife Center seeks LEED™ Certification, as it was registered as a USGBC LEED™ 2.1 project.

LEN FOOTE HIKE INN— Lodge for Georgia State Parks by Reynolds Architects, Inc.

This prototypical LEED™-Existing Buildings (LEED-EB™) project for Georgia State Parks, is one of the first of its kind in the country. Reynolds Architects offers one point of constructive criticism—LEED-EB™ does not address projects very well that have no air-conditioning and humidity control. This project seeks a LEED-EB™ Gold Rating.

As a regional affiliate of the USGBC, Southface held a LEED-EB™ workshop in June 2003 and more LEED-EB™ discussion will be involved at the Greenprints 2004 Conference, March 18 & 19.

To get to Len Foote and see its 1.6 kW photovoltaic (solar power) system, there is a five-mile trail to hike from Amicalola State Park.

HILLTOP SCHOOL—Montessori School Daycare & K-8 School by ArchitectureWorks

ArchitectureWorks’ biggest goal was to attain the highest LEED™ rating possible while balancing the other project goals and keeping construction costs reasonable.

ArchitectureWorks believes incorporation of the Hilltop School strategies and technologies could be readily adopted in other commercial or residential buildings in the region. The project aimed for a LEED™ version 2.0 Gold rating, and at the end of schematic design, ArchitectureWorks had 45 points allotted to reach this rating.

This project's team members suggested that project teams invite code officials to design charrettes to encourage buy-in of unfamiliar systems, such as gray water, that are limited by local codes.

“Major budget constraints tend to exist because of perceived higher costs for unfamiliar materials and sustainable design measures, rather than actual costs,” said Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates’ Richard Simonton, who worked on the Hilltop School.