Environmental Design + Construction - January 2009 - (Page 63)

PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES CENTER Location: Arlington, Va. Size: 32,000 square feet Opened: March 2007 Certiﬁcation: LEED Silver Design Services: The Lukmire Partnership Architects, Arlington, Va. S3E Klingemann MEP Engineers WHGA Civil Engineers Construction: G.W. Contractors Rockville, Md. Materials Acoustical Wall Panels – Conwed Designscape Carpet – Shaw Wood Trusses and Decking – Brooks Building Products Ceramic Tile – Dal-Tile Green Roof – GreenGrid Metal Roof System – Peterson Aluminum Corp. Paint – ICI Paints Windows – Kawneer Lighting Control System – Lutron Roof Insulation – Hunter Panels TPO Rooﬁng System – Stevens Rooﬁng Systems (now Dow Rooﬁng Systems) OCCUPYING THE SECOND STORY, ADMINISTRATION AND TRAINING AREAS ARE HOUSED IN AN OPEN, FLEXIBLE SPACE SPANNED WITH HEAVY TIMBER TRUSSES AND A CLERESTORY RUNNING THE LENGTH OF THE FLOOR. PHOTO BY GREGORY S. LUKMIRE, AIA. ing performance criteria in five environmental categories of LEED, as well as for innovation, where a public education program has been provided. Building Features As the first new building to be constructed in the redeveloped Arlington County Trades Center, located adjacent to a new urban center, the site itself presented the designers with some unique challenges. Because the site was long and narrow, the building could only be 40 feet wide. At the same time, it had to accommodate multiple uses. Not only did it need to provide office space, but it also had to provide individual trade shops for parks maintenance, carpentry, paint, welding, landscaping and small engine repair, as well as training facilities for the staff. Added late in the project was a stand-alone training/meeting space of 4,000 square feet that is available to any county department. Finally, since the site borders on a new “downtown” commercial district and the building fronts the primary access street, it had to fit in architecturally and not look like a typical maintenance building. To accommodate these demands, the building was designed in an L-shape with a two-story section facing the street to house administration and training areas, and a long, 16-foot-high single-story side containing the trade shops, the parking and staging areas. The administration and training areas are located on the second story, in an open, flexible space spanned with heavy timber trusses and a clerestory running the length of the floor. The majority of staff is in open workstations, allowing everyone an exterior view and natural light. All windows are operable for natural ventilation. It also has a meeting room that can hold 400 people for county-wide gatherings. The ground floor features common areas as well as seven individual trade shops, each with its own environmental controls. Due to the nature of the project, lowcost building materials were used wherever possible. For example, the glass two-story main entrance is an open, inviting space that features cedar and cultured stone siding and plants that contribute to its image as a parks and recreation facility. Green Elements Knowing that LEED Silver certification was a requirement, every member of the team was cognizant of the need to incorporate LEED components into the project. Green features include clerestory lighting, lighting sensors, certified wood ceilings, natural stone, a green roof, and four 10,000-gallon cisterns to capture rainwater for watering landscaping throughout the county. To enhance energy efficiency and reduce the project’s impact on the environment, a number of strategies were employed including: ■ Natural daylighting through the use of clerestories ■ Overhangs to cut down on solar gain ■ Operable windows throughout for natural ventilation ■ Partial green roof ■ Small independent HVAC systems for each trade shop, enabling them to be turned off when not in use ■ Reflective roof and paving to reduce heat island effect ■ Berming on the north side of the building ■ Use of local materials ■ Waterless urinals to cut down on water usage ■ Minimal parking to reduce impervious area and stormwater runoff Since moving into the PRCR Center, several staff members have become major proponents of green building. They’ve also made the space their home away from home through their own green touches, including the addition of a minienvironment to the landscaping to show how an ecosystem works. GREGORY S. LUKMIRE, AIA IS A PRINCIPAL WITH THE LUKMIRE PARTNERSHIP. VISIT WWW.LUKMIRE.COM. www.EDCmag.com 63 http://WWW.LUKMIRE.COM http://www.EDCmag.com

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Environmental Design + Construction - January 2009 Contents Web TOC Editor's Note Newsline New + Notable Civic Responsibility Readers’ Choice Awards Success Story 2009 Manufacturer Spotlights Feeling Right at Home Marketplace + Classifieds Advertiser's Index Parting Shot

Environmental Design + Construction - January 2009

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