Nature center aims for Living Building Challenge certification

By Angela Holmes

angela@corridorbusiness.com

CEDAR RAPIDS – Indian Creek Nature Center wants to set an example for sustainability with its Amazing Space project.

The nonprofit broke ground July 30 on the project which aims to be one of the greenest and most sustainable facilities in the country. The $5.9 million project includes a new campus a half-mile from the existing headquarters at 6665 Otis Road. The new 12,000-square-foot learning center will replace the barn built in 1932 as the center’s main building.

The nature center, along with project architects Solum Lang Architects of Cedar Rapids, is seeking a Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification from the International Living Future Institute. Only five other buildings in the world have achieved full certification with 23 others receiving partial LBC certification. Indian Creek is the first nature center to seek the certification, as well as the first building in Iowa.

“It makes it about true sustainability,” said Lindsey Flannery, Indian Creek Nature Center business development coordinator. “It’s not just lip service; it’s not just a plaque on the wall. Green and sustainability can be trendy buzzwords; we walk the walk.”

The certification is very comprehensive with every step of the way documented, said Jean Wiedenheft, the center’s land stewardship director.

LBC is more intensive than other “green building” certifications such as Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), as it requires self-sufficiency in energy and water for at least 12 continuous months.

“The difference between LEED and this is the auditing after it is built,” Ms. Flannery said.

In addition to the geothermal and radiant floor heating and cooling systems, LED lighting, natural daylight, solar-thermal water heating and rainwater reclamation are among other technologies the project will use.

This is the first Living Building Challenge project Solum Lang has designed.

“Finding the right materials has been a challenge,” said Darci Lorenson, an intern architect at Solum Lang who is serving as project manager for Amazing Space. “A lot of manufacturers haven’t heard of it.”

Finding the right materials is key to the project’s success said Brad Lang, founding partner and architect at Solum Lang

“Globally, material manufacturers make good, quality products,” he said. “LBC takes it to a microscopic level.”

The structure will be primarily made out of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. This is a departure from steel, which LEED projects typically use.

“So much more energy is used to recycle steel,” Mr. Lang said. “Why take 20 trees to heat steel instead of just using the trees?”

Other primary materials include glass and stone, while limiting the use of concrete and plastic.

“It’s not revolutionary new materials,” Mr. Lang said. “It’s just about using the right ones.”

The project will cost about $1.5 million more than a typical project.

“Sustainable design should not be a question of dollars,” Mr. Lang said. “When ADA (American Disabilities Act) and LEED were first introduced, it was cost prohibitive, but now it balances out.”

Although upfront costs are higher, the building’s design and materials will end up saving money.

“We will make the money back by having energy-efficient features,” Ms. Flannery said. “There are several ways the building will save money over time.”

One significant way the building will save money is through its partnership with Alliant Energy.

Under the plan, the nature center will provide leased space on the roof and ground at the new site for Alliant to install cutting-edge renewable energy technologies, including various types of solar panels.

Once the panels are in place, online portals hosted by both organizations’ websites will provide information to the public on how much energy the solar panels are generating and the site’s energy demands in real-time.

“We can educate the public; we can serve as an example,” Ms. Flannery said.

The solar energy system at the new building will be sized to match the needs of the entire structure, expected to be between 70-100 kilowatts.

The nature center will be the largest commercial building in Iowa to be completely “net zero,” meaning the total amount of energy used by the building annually is equal to or less than the amount of renewable energy created on the site.

The site will be tied into the grid if there isn’t enough sunlight to produce adequate power at any given time, Ms.  Wiedenheft said.

Another way to avoid carbon production at the site is to not use any natural gas service, Ms. Flannery said.

The renovation of the main building had been discussed for a long time, Ms. Wiedenheft said. The flood of 2008 proved that the building should be built on higher ground.

“Renovation of the current space would have been a challenge,” Ms. Flannery said.

The original barn that is used as the main building was built in 1932 with renovations in 1973 and 1986.

The center has leased land from the city of Cedar Rapids for $1 a year since 1973. The city transferred ownership of the 78 acres for this project.

At this point, 95 percent of the $6.9 million fundraising goal has been raised. But with projected corporate and individual donations and grants, the campaign should reach about $7.4 million, Ms. Flannery said. The project itself is estimated at $5.9 million, with remaining funds to be put in an endowment fund.

“We’re about sustainability all around, including financial,” Ms. Flannery said.