Team & Process

Predesign

The National Audubon Society spent five years undergoing intensive community outreach and planning.

The decision to pursue green design was made before the building location on the site was selected and before any conceptual architectural plans were begun. The decision to pursue a LEED Platinum rating was made after the project team was selected and after a donor contributed money earmarked to help the project meet Platinum. The clincher in the decision came along with the cost estimates for connecting to city utilities. Since the Center is located more than a quarter-mile from the nearest electricity and sewer lines, on-site wastewater treatment and electricity generation would cost only a slight premium. And, they would lend themselves to a high LEED rating. The team decided to go for Platinum in December 2001.

Useful Information Resources and Software

• The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System, version 2.1, was used throughout the design process.
• Energy Pro was used for the LEED energy calculation (based on California's Title 24 energy code).
• An Excel spreadsheet was used for the actual load budgeting.
• A Web-based tool called PV Watts and an Excel spreadsheet were used to determine the PV energy generation.

Finance & Cost

The National Audubon Society is leasing 17 acres within Debs Park for the nature center and its surrounding landscape; Audubon has agreed to pay the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks $1.00 each year for 50 years.

Financing Mechanisms

• Procurement process: Design-bid-build, Design-build

Cost Data

Cost data in U.S. dollars as of date of completion.

• Total project cost (land excluded): $5,500,000

Duygu Erten, project manager at Bovis Lend Lease, the owner’s representative for construction, said that the total project cost, including extensive site work and landscaping, was $5.5 million. The design and construction of the building itself cost around $2.5 million, or $371 per square foot, adjusted to include some partially enclosed space. Her calculations show that the building is 5-7% more expensive than a conventional building because of its green features.

 

Land Use & Community

The Audubon Society decided to build on the most degraded land in Debs Park. An asphalt road, partially buried on the site, was used as a soapbox derby racetrack decades ago, and the nearby hillside was a playground for arsonists and off-road motorcyclists. Audubon is now working to restore the site and nearby hillside and trails, removing invasive species and planting native and adaptive plants.

Exterior colors were chosen to blend in with the hillside. The roof is dark, to blend with and camouflage its assortment of solar panels; a large portion of the roof is shaded by the various solar arrays.

The Center is located along the northern boundary of the Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, 282 acres of urban wilderness just ten minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Though Debs Park is a mostly natural location it is next to the Arroyo Seco Parkway, one of the most heavily traveled roads in Los Angeles.

Although this is only the second urban Audubon facility in the country, Audubon plans to build hundreds of similar centers around the country by 2020. In this way, Audubon hopes to reach urban and underserved communities.

Green Strategies

• Property Evaluation
  • Assess property for integration with local community and regional transportation corridors
• Responsible Planning
  • Ensure that development fits within a responsible local and regional planning framework
• Properties with Excessive Impacts
  • Avoid contributing to sprawl

  Photo credit: EHDD Architecture

  Site Description

  WATER

  The building will use only 30% of the water typically consumed by a conventional building of the same size. The Center has no connection to the public sewer, meaning that 100% of the wastewater will be treated on site. The treatment system consists of a hybridized anaerobic/aerobic treatment and filtration process and a peracetic acid and ultraviolet light advanced oxidation disinfection process. Graywater and blackwater will be recycled for toilet flushing (pending approval by the City of Los Angeles). Approximately 30% will be recycled back into the soil through an anaerobic sub-surface dispersion field. Two-stage, low-flow toilets allow for different flow options. Once the landscaping is established, it will require no permanent irrigation.

Stormwater created by the development is kept onsite and diverted to a water quality treatment basin before being released to help recharge groundwater.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Several interwoven components of the landscape design work together to connect people with the natural history of the park and the surrounding landscape: 1) restored native plant communities, 2) park entrance and entry courtyard, 3) main interior courtyard, 4) children's garden, and 5) interpretive trail system.

Native plant restoration

The restoration of native habitat in Debs Park is as vital a component of the Audubon Center plan as environmental education. Although much of the perimeter portions of the park near the Center have been degraded and neglected in the past decades, enough vestiges of the natural communities remain to form a solid basis for restoration. The Center site represents the confluence of four distinct biomes characteristic not only of the Arroyo Seco, but also of much of southern California: Coastal Sage Scrub; Oak Sycamore Woodland; Meadow/Grassland; and Riparian habitat.

Habitat restoration will take place throughout the 17 acres of the park used by the Audubon Center, including the area immediately surrounding the building. All of the plants used will be California natives, most of which can be found on site in Debs Park. The primary characteristics of the plants are their resistance to draught and fire.

Park entrance and entry courtyard

From the moment visitors arrive at Debs Park, its natural features will be highlighted. At the Griffin Avenue entrance to the park, visitors will be welcomed by hand-crafted gates that are draped with twining, wrought-iron garlands representing the park's plants and life-sized representations of some of the park's significant animal inhabitants.

The entry drive follows the alignment of the existing fire road up the hillside into the park. A drift of native Coastal Live Oaks leads to the Audubon Center's parking lot. Drifts of oaks shade the lot, and a grove of oaks and walnuts is featured at the center of the passenger drop-off area.

The Center's entry courtyard features a recirculating, solar-powered fountain, benches, and two Western Sycamores, trees that grow along waterways and are especially important habitat for native fauna, particularly birds.

Interior courtyard

The focal point of the interior courtyard is a fountain, which will serve as a drinking and bathing respite for wildlife. Western Sycamores provide shade during the warm months of the year, and California Grape (Vitus californica) is planted to shade the pergola. A trellised blind offers a quiet vantage point for observing wildlife.

Understory plantings in the courtyard include California Wood Fern (Dryopteris arguta), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana, Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa), Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica), and Coralbells (Huechera).

Children's Garden

The Children's Garden offers and introduction to the natural history of Debs Park. It is set apart from the natural landscape by a hedge of native shrubs, and is characterized by distinctive, dramatic plantings that highlight the change of seasons. A sustainably certified wooden tower in the garden affords views of wildlife, garden features, the Audubon Center, and beyond. A sustainably certified wooden bridge offers views down into the riparian and oak sycamore communities below. From here, paths lead through tunnels of chaparral into the meadows beyond. A gravel and river-washed rock Riparian Path follows the usually dry streambed through the garden. The watercourse meanders as it etches deeper into the plateau to create a ravine. This ravine includes a grotto to give pint-sized visitors a view of aquatic life in the shallow pools.

While the Center's courtyards and Children's Garden are primarily planted with species found in Debs Park, they also include a few species that are indigenous in the larger region. These are included in order to demonstrate plants that thrive in urban/suburban settings yet still provide native habitat benefit, particularly for wildlife. For example, selections of the natural hummingbird feeder California Fuchsia (Epilobium)—found in the Santa Monica Mountains—have been included. We hope to encourage visitors to plant natives in their home gardens to increase wildlife habitat in the region and to conserve resources like water.

Interpretive trail system

Visitors will be immersed in all four distinct biomes of Debs Park when they travel along the interpretive trail system. The Coastal Sage Scrub trail takes visitors past swaths of the fragrant blue-gray California Sagebrush, while the Oak Sycamore Woodland trail winds through groves and drifts of California Black Walnuts. The native walnuts are signature trees of the Audubon Center, providing habitat for many animals. The Walnut Savannah and Riparian trails take visitors through and along the Children's Garden. Each trail seeks to intensify the experience of the specific biome and its materials, inhabitants, and systems.

• Lot size: 17 acres
• Sensitive habitat

Water Conservation and Use

Water Data

Water Use

• Indoor potable water use: 70,700 gal/yr (268,000 liters/yr)
• Outdoor potable water use: 18,000 gal/yr (68,100 liters/yr)
• Total potable water use: 88,700 gal/yr (336,000 liters/yr)
• Potable water use per unit area: 17.7 gal/sq ft (720 liters/sq meter)

Green Strategies

• Development Impacts
  • Minimize development impact area
• Ecosystem Restoration
  • Replant damaged sites with native vegetation
• Waterless Fixtures
  • Specify waterless urinals
• Water Conservation Education
  • Educate residents about water conservation
• Landscape Plantings
  • Landscape with indigenous vegetation
  • Minimize turf area
• Low-Water-Use Fixtures
  • Use low-flow toilets
• Wastewater and Graywater Recycling
  • Design buildings to use treated wastewater for non-potable uses
  • Plumb building to accommodate graywater separation
• Integration with Site Resources
  • Celebrate and enhance existing landscape features

    Photo credit: Solar Webb, Inc.

    Energy

    Since the building is entirely off-the-grid, efforts were made to keep energy demand as low as possible. The building is expected to use 25,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually (five kWh per ft2). This figure includes energy used for site lighting and operation of the wastewater treatment system.

    Because the building's cooling energy use is very low, winter is the building's critical energy period. The photovoltaic system generates just enough power to meet demand during December and about 40 percent more than is required during the summer months.

  
  

  A small generator is used to deep charge the batteries twice each year, which will extend their lifespan. If the battery system drops below 20%, the system has been designed to allow rapid recharging using a portable generator brought in on a pickup truck by a local vendor. Since the Audubon Center is not in a remote location, and can quickly be serviced by a portable unit, a back-up generator was deemed unnecessary.

  Operating systems: electrical and lighting

  The solar-electrical system powers all building systems, including heating, cooling, lighting, computers, and other office equipment. Outdoor recirculating fountains also operate on solar power. A 25-kW photovoltaic system (more than 200 photovoltaic crystalline panels) provides battery capacity for four or five winter days without direct sun. The 96 battery cells provide 5.6 rated amp-hours, 269 rated kilowatts, and 2.4 rated days.

  Windows provide balanced natural light in all normally occupied areas of the facility, and artificial light is required only in the evening during winter months. Fluorescent lights use minimal energy in both the building's interior and on its surrounding site. Energy Star appliances reduce the overall electrical demand.

  Fluorescent T-8 lamps are used, along with controls that must be turned on manually, but are shut off automatically when rooms are unoccupied.

  Operating systems: solar heating and cooling, and fans

  The 100% solar-powered heating and cooling systems will be used only when necessary. Exposed concrete walls and floors, along with high windows that open to flush out heat, moderate temperatures throughout the building. Operable windows allow for natural ventilation. Efficient fans will be used for ventilation when breezes are inadequate. Solar panels are used for sinks, lavatories, and showers.

   

  Photo credit: EHDD Architecture

  Materials & Resources

  The Audubon Center incorporates a number of green building materials.

  The building's exterior uses:

• Steel rebar: 97% recycled, including content from melted down guns (traded in to the City of Los Angeles), old cars, and used oil filters;
• Cast-in-place concrete: Contains 25% flyash;
• Concrete masonry units: Grout contains 25-50% flyash;
• Windows: High-performance, low-e coated, double-glazed, and protected by overhangs and trellises to reduce heat gain in summer while providing excellent natural daylighting throughout the building;
• Wood: Plywood, Redwood, and Douglas Fir members for pergolas were certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) to be from sustainably managed forests.

The building's interior uses:

• Linoleum: Made primarily of organic materials, including linseed oil, wood flour, and a natural jute backing;
• Insulation: Formaldehyde-free mineral fiber insulation with recycled content;
• Wood: Plywood sheathing, doors, and millwork were FSC-certified;
• Cabinets: Made of organic wheatboard (wheat straw and soy) and organic sunflower board (sunflower seed hulls and resin), rapidly renewable materials and alternatives to wood;
• Tiles: Recycled ceramic tile from solid waste (post-consumer recycled glass, post-industrial grinding media, body scrap, waste water);
• Carpet: Composed of sisal fibers extracted from the long spiny leaves of the Mexican agave plant (henequen), a renewable, organic resource with almost no undesirable emissions or odors.

More than 50% of the materials used on the project were locally manufactured, and more than 25% were locally harvested, both within 104 miles of the site.

Diversion of Construction & Demolition Waste

More than 97% of the debris accumulated during construction was recycled.

The old racetrack was ground up into fist-sized pieces and used to stabilize the graded slopes on the hill. Green wastes were separated and recycled at a special facility. Other recyclable construction wastes were collected in a commingled container. The recycling contractor then separated the waste at their own facility, and then delivered the materials to several recycling facilities in Southern California.

Green Products Used

• Certified Redwood Lumber
• Energy-Efficient Refrigerators
• Fabric, Cork, and Burlap Panels
• Natural Linoleum Flooring
• Natural-Fiber Carpet
• Non-PVC, Solar-Reflective, Thermoplastic Membrane Roofing
• Photovoltaic Collectors
• Recycled-Content Prefinished Biocomposite Panel
• Recycled-Content Synthetic-Gypsum Board
• Recycled-Wood Fiberboard and Particleboard

Green Strategies

• Design for Materials Use Reduction
  • Enhance existing features in landscaping
  • Consider the use of structural materials that do not require application of finish layers
  • Consider exposing structural materials as finished surfaces
• Recycling by Occupants
  • Specify recycling receptacles that are accessible to the occupants
• Toxic Upstream or Downstream Burdens
  • Use true linoleum flooring
  • Specify natural fiber carpets
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Manufacture
  • Use concrete masonry units with flyash replacing a portion of the cement
  • Replace up to 30% of the cement in concrete with flyash
• Materials and Wildlife Habitat
  • Use wood products from independently certified, well-managed forests for finish carpentry
• Transportation of Materials
  • Prefer materials that are sourced and manufactured within the local area

  Photo credit: Gary Leonard

  Indoor Environment

  The L-shaped building is relatively narrow, allowing light to penetrate throughout the facility. The south and east orientation of the building and well placed operable windows increase cross-ventilation, natural lighting in all directions, and views of the outdoors.

  All adhesives, sealants, paints, and carpets were selected for their low content or lack of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Green Strategies

• Visual Comfort and Interior Design
  • Select only white to midrange finishes to maximize reflectance of light
• Facility Policies for IEQ
  • Recommend a non-smoking policy for the building

Images

Please click on image thumbnails to view in slideshow:

		This photo shows the Audubon Center at Debs Park in the foreground, and the City of Los Angeles in the background. Credit: Gary Leonard
		This photo shows the interior courtyard of the Audubon Center at Debs Park, including native Western Sycamores, and the solar-powered fountain. Credit: EHDD Architecture
		This photo shows the Audubon Center's interior courtyard. Solar panels can be seen on the roof of the Discovery Room, and the solar-powered fountain is shown in the foreground. Credit: EHDD Architecture/Soltierra, LLC
		The entry gates shown in this photo are decorated with the birds and flowers of Debs Park. Credit: EHDD Architecture
		This photo shows the reception desk at the Audubon Center, which is made of organic sunflower board. Credit: Gary Leonard
		This photograph shows the entry courtyard of the Audubon Center with shaded pergola. Credit: EHDD Architecture
		This photo shows the PV array atop the Audubon Center. Credit: Solar Webb, Inc.
		Photovoltaic panels cover the south roof of the Audubon Center, shown here. Credit: Solar Webb, Inc.
		Barreries at the Audubon Center, shown here, provide back-up power for several days without direct sun. Credit: Solar Webb, Inc.

Lessons Learned

"It took a tremendous amount of effort to keep the project on the Platinum track. It took a lot more research work into alternative design solutions and products than was originally expected.

"1) The original mechanical space heating and cooling system did not meet the owner's desires for cooling comfort. We switched to a solar space heating system that offered the desired cooling for little additional cost.

"2) The cost of connecting to the electrical grid was high enough that a 100% photovoltaic system was a more desirable solution. We went through two photovoltaic design-builders before we were able to find one that met the project requirement that 'It all has to fit on the roof.' Photovoltaic arrays in the park were not allowed. They would have taken away from the 'experiencing nature,' as the owner's priority for the project.

"3) It took some effort to convince the landscape architect to allow use of a temporary irrigation system versus a permanent buried one. The concerns were ease of watering and loss of plants during establishment. The owner decided that the loss of a few plants was acceptable.

"4) Fitting the photovoltaic system on the roof required an aggressive study of all of the electrical loads in the building. We had to be as efficient as possible to make it work. We have to limit the number of copies made per day and also place a budget on outdoor power tool use. Indoor and outdoor lighting is about as efficient as we could make it and appliances are the most efficient we could find. The only power used to heat and cool the building is for pumps and electrical controls.

"5) The on-site wastewater treatment system was originally chosen because it did not cost significantly more than connecting to the sewer system that was more than a quarter of a mile away. It wasn't until construction bidding that we found out it was more expensive than we originally thought. The owner decided to keep the on-site system because it was environmentally the best thing to do and was consistent with all of the other green measures used.

"The environmental upside of having to deal with all of the above is that the choices made help the building mirror how nature works. This is the mission of the Audubon, and the entire project team was excited to help them build a project consistent with that.

"This small building has a very high-efficiency 19 cubic foot refrigerator and a separate freezer. If we're off-grid, why not just get by on one combination unit and reduce the size of the photovoltaic system a little bit? The center focuses on educating young children and their families. The Audubon loves sharing ice cream with the kids. You need a lot of space for ice cream if you have a lot of kids visiting. There has to be enough for everyone to share."

—Hernando Miranda; Soltierra, LLC

 

Learn More

Visiting

It is possible to visit this project. The Center is located just ten minutes from downtown Los Angeles. The entrance is across from the Montecito Heights soccer field. For a map and directions from either Los Angeles or Pasadena, visit the Debs Park Audubon Center Web site.

The Audubon Center at Debs Park is now open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, but it will soon be open every day. For details, contact Rosa Delgado, volunteer coordinator, at 323-221-2255.

Information Resources

• Web sites
  • Debs Park Audubon Center Web Site
    This Web site includes directions to the Center, links to other articles about the building, and a calendar of activities. Also included are lists of plants, birds, and other animals found in Debs Park.
  • Solar Thermal HVAC Technology Debuts in Los Angeles at New Audubon Urban Nature Center by Wright, Gregory (2/3/04)
    This article explains the Audubon Center's solar heating and cooling system in detail.

Contacts

Hernando Miranda
Soltierra, LLC
LEED construction & documentation
Dana Point, CA  
949-429-2450