S U G A R P O N D N A T U R E C E N T E R W i n n e r o f 2 0 1 7 A I A D E S I G N A W A R D
Sugar Pond Nature Center is designed to provide a living lab and caretaking outpost for Hillside Woods, a wooded 52-acre park in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson. The Nature Center will be an interactive model of sustainability, providing a healthful and stimulating environment for the study of nature. Sugar Pond – the beloved hub of these woodlands – is perfectly situated for a laboratory-classroom dedicated to the outdoors: the site is just yards from the playground at the Hillside Elementary School, and a ten-minute walk to Farragut Middle & Hastings High Schools. The Nature Center’s inspiration is the hearth-like ambiance of the ice skating shed that it replaces. The aim of the new 820 sf structure will be to comfortably accommodate both village and school functions with a nature-loving, community-building spirit.
The building will be designed and constructed to minimize the impact on Sugar Pond and the surrounding woods. A rainwater collection system will be incorporated, reducing run-off and providing water for landscaping and a fire suppression system. A rain garden and stormwater plant bed will dissipate water that is in surplus of the collection system. The handicap ramp that connects a public path from the elementary school to the site will float above the rain garden, and be constructed of recycled tires. A portion of the roof will be planted with vegetation on a waterproof membrane, serving to absorb rainwater and provide insulation for the building. Drought resistant native plants will be used to landscape the building.
Using energy modeling and analysis of materials and construction, the Nature Center at Sugar Pond will aspire to be a net-zero energy-use project, meeting the rigorous Passive House standard for energy efficiency. A super-insulated, airtight building shell, an insulated thermal mass of concrete at the floor, and triple-glazed windows and glass doors will all reduce energy use. The building orientation, roof overhangs, and perimeter trellis has been designed to minimize summer heat gain, and maximize winter passive solar heat gain. A filtered heat recovery ventilation system will ensure indoor climate control.
The interior space will have a walls of retractable glass panels facing Sugar Pond, which will open onto an adjoining front deck. Filtered with wood screening to simulate the dappled daylight in the woods, these glass walls enhance the connection to the outdoors, as well as create an indoor-outdoor flow. A textured curved ceiling at the interior evokes the feeling of a bird’s nest.
Our goal is that the building itself will educate the public about sustainable design and green building, and that the hands-on, learning opportunities inherent in this laboratory will be used by teachers to instruct the community about both the building itself and the natural world: from suburban ecology, earth science, and botany, to an enhanced appreciation of our own Hillside Woods and Sugar Pond. We hope to include monitoring controls to track the progress of the energy-saving initiatives incorporated into the design. A touch screen with software designed to meter all the buildings systems: energy, water and waste data, will be featured at the building’s entrance. A stationary bike power generator could be incorporated, encouraging visitors to log in some energy miles during their visit. This project has tremendous community support and is endorsed by Hastings-on-Hudson municipal government, the Hastings UF School District Board of Education, Superintendent and School Principals, and many local businesses.
The building will be designed and constructed to minimize the impact on Sugar Pond and the surrounding woods. A rainwater collection system will be incorporated, reducing run-off and providing water for landscaping and a fire suppression system. A rain garden and stormwater plant bed will dissipate water that is in surplus of the collection system. The handicap ramp that connects a public path from the elementary school to the site will float above the rain garden, and be constructed of recycled tires. A portion of the roof will be planted with vegetation on a waterproof membrane, serving to absorb rainwater and provide insulation for the building. Drought resistant native plants will be used to landscape the building.
Using energy modeling and analysis of materials and construction, the Nature Center at Sugar Pond will aspire to be a net-zero energy-use project, meeting the rigorous Passive House standard for energy efficiency. A super-insulated, airtight building shell, an insulated thermal mass of concrete at the floor, and triple-glazed windows and glass doors will all reduce energy use. The building orientation, roof overhangs, and perimeter trellis has been designed to minimize summer heat gain, and maximize winter passive solar heat gain. A filtered heat recovery ventilation system will ensure indoor climate control.
The interior space will have a walls of retractable glass panels facing Sugar Pond, which will open onto an adjoining front deck. Filtered with wood screening to simulate the dappled daylight in the woods, these glass walls enhance the connection to the outdoors, as well as create an indoor-outdoor flow. A textured curved ceiling at the interior evokes the feeling of a bird’s nest.
Our goal is that the building itself will educate the public about sustainable design and green building, and that the hands-on, learning opportunities inherent in this laboratory will be used by teachers to instruct the community about both the building itself and the natural world: from suburban ecology, earth science, and botany, to an enhanced appreciation of our own Hillside Woods and Sugar Pond. We hope to include monitoring controls to track the progress of the energy-saving initiatives incorporated into the design. A touch screen with software designed to meter all the buildings systems: energy, water and waste data, will be featured at the building’s entrance. A stationary bike power generator could be incorporated, encouraging visitors to log in some energy miles during their visit. This project has tremendous community support and is endorsed by Hastings-on-Hudson municipal government, the Hastings UF School District Board of Education, Superintendent and School Principals, and many local businesses.