National Audubon Society Nature Education Center

This project involved complete mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for this 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. The facility is to be used to highlight and provide educational programs concerning the surrounding natural environment as well as provide office and lecture space for the Audubon Society. The facility is a showpiece for energy conservation and environmentally friendly construction. As such, an energy-saving, geothermal exchange system was implemented for the HVAC plant. Heat pump source water was circulated to a heat exchange process with the ground to provide efficient heat absorption and rejection. Air-to-air heat recovery units pre-heat and pre-cool the incoming fresh air with exhaust air to conserve energy as well as enabling geothermal heat pumps to be used on a building with substantial fresh air requirements.

Electrical lighting and plumbing service was provided for several nature displays. The Audubon Society's interior and exterior lighting layout was designed to meet ASHRAE/IES 90.1-1999 guidelines. The lighting design qualified for local power company reduced lighting power density incentives.

A secondary propane generator was designed into the system to maintain life safety devices and a fire pump and fire tanks were used to provide a sprinkler system for a building that relies on well water.

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