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May/June 2008
Fernald Preserve Visitors Center
Former Superfund site turned nature preserve gets its own green visitors’ center
By Tom Nicholson
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| The ultra-green Fernald Preserve Visitors Center, currently under construction, will stand as a testament to the successful cleanup of a former Superfund site, now a 1,050-acre nature preserve. (Photos courtesy Of U.S. Department Of Energy, Fernald Preserve)
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he Fernald property north of Cincinnati, the site of a former uranium-processing facility, was known for decades as a contaminated Superfund site, its soil laced with toxic poisons.
But no more. After undergoing a two-decade, $4.4-billion cleanup, the 1,050-acre site now has pristine wetlands, forests and meadows teeming with native plants and animals. Now called the Fernald Preserve, the site includes a visitors’ center that once was a warehouse and now features green technology.
The Fernald Preserve Visitors Center, a $3-million 10,800-sq-ft building, is expected to be complete by August, says project manager Jim Kilpatrick of Cincinnati-based Megen Construction Co., which is a design-build partner with glaserworks, a Cincinnati architecture firm, on the project. The team is aiming for a LEED-Gold certification, as stipulated by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, owner of the preserve.
Green features include the use of recycled and locally procured materials, a geothermal-based heating-and-cooling system, high-efficiency electrical, water and plumbing fixtures, and window placements that optimize sunlight in all seasons.
The contractor and architect formed their relationship specifically for the project. “DOE wanted a LEED-Gold building and that was what attracted us to this project,” says project architect Adam Luginbill. Adds Kilpatrick, “We had not worked together before, but we came together for this project. It was something we wanted to be a part of.”
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| This spring, cement workers laid the foundation for the visitors center, which includes a host of green features such as a geothermal system for heating and cooling, highly efficient water and electrical systems and the use of recycled materials throughout the job. (Photos courtesy Of U.S. Department Of Energy, Fernald Preserve) |
The team brainstormed to determine the best method of incorporating geothermal heating and cooling into the structure, a design requirement issued by DOE. It opted to integrate a heat-transfer system into an existing pond on the site. The system utilizes the pond’s year-round, 58° water temperature as a source for cooling the building in summer and heating it in winter.
“DOE wanted a LEED-Gold building and that was what attracted us to this project.”
— Adam Luginbill
Project Architect, Glaserworks |
The geothermal system is expected to cut energy costs by 48% over traditional heating and cooling systems.
The steel-framed structure incorporates a diagonal solstice wall aligned with the sun’s position on the longest and shortest days of the year.
“It is a symbolic design element intended to acknowledge and celebrate the rebirth and renewal of the site,” Luginbill says.
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