About Us > Education Center Construction

Education Center Construction: 2007 - 2009

The construction of our new green Visitor Education Center continues. We are excited to share these images with you. Please click on a thumbnail image to see a larger version. These start with the most recent and go backward in time. Check back now and then for new photos. For more information about the green features of the center and fundraising progress click HERE.

August 2009: Approach from parking lot.	August 2009: Toward Auditorium Wing from breezeway.	August 2009: Terracing outside the Auditorium Wing.
June 2009: Roof of breezeway connecting Education wing w/ Info, Exhibits wing.	May 2009: Porous pavers, parking lot.	April 2009: Reception desk.
April 2009: Sanding hardwood floor in the Ritchie Bell Seminar Room.	April 2009: Student tour, UNC-CH Conservation Biology class.	April 2009: Installing underground cistern.
March 2009: Installing kitchen cabinets in the staff break room.	March 2009: Porch on Education Wing, two cisterns visible.	March 2009: Installing trim made from wood milled from the site.
January 14, 2009: Drywall installation in the Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.	January 26, 2009: Cistern footing.	January 28, 2009: Photovoltaic panels being installed on Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.
December 7, 2008: Approaching Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing from parking lot.	December 7, 2008: Holiday Wreath on Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.	December 7, 2008: The porch on the Auditorium wing takes shape.
November 11, 2008: Inside Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.	November 11, 2008: Covered porch, Education wing.	November 1, 2008: Bridge connecting upper floors of Education wing with Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.
October 15, 2008: Siding on Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing.	October 6, 2008: Education wing, J. Randall.	October 6, 2008: Education wing.
October 6, 2008: C. Jones-Roe, G. Parkins, P. White take in view from above in Education wing.	August 5, 2008: Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing	August 14, 2008: Drill rig for geothermal wells
June 17, 2008: Education wing	June 9, 2008: Education wing	June 3, 2008: floor of Information, Gift Shops, Exhibits wing
May 16, 2008: Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing takes shape	May 16, 2008: another view of Information, Gift Shop, Exhibits wing	May 2, 2008: more steel beams and trusses
May 2, 2008	April 10, 2008	March 24, 2008: first steel beams
March 2008: All foundations will be covered	February 2008	February 2008
January 2008: foundation work	January 2008: foundations are begun	December 2007: stump grinding
December 2007 digging for foundations	November 2007: initial clearing of the site	November 2007: construction trailer arrives

Last updated by Laura Cotterman on August 18, 2009 at 03:00:28 pm.

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A Wish List

A Wish List for the new Education Center—Seeking Your Help!

There are many new spaces inside and outside of the new three-part Education Center (classroom wing, auditorium wing, and information/exhibits wing) that require furnishings and appliances. We are seeking contributions with which to purchase the following items.
Please call Charlotte Jones-Roe if you would like to help: 919-962-9458.

Landscape plants and materials
Deer/Security fencing
Irrigation system
Bookshelves for Green Gardener Room
Furniture for overlook lobby/reading room
Electric Gator (utility vehicle)
Furniture and lockers for Volunteer Room
Ice maker for catering prep room
Energy Star refrigerator for Staff Break Room
Recycle bins (indoor and outdoor)

Please Note: There are other opportunities to help out as well. We still must raise more than $2 million for construction and landscape installation. Room-naming opportunities are available as well.

Visitor Education Center: Facts

The following is a list of important green features of the new Education Center, many of which are expected to qualify this facility for Platinum LEED* certification:

Photovoltaics covering the south-facing roof and generating renewable energy that feeds into a dual metering system
Geothermal heat-exchange system that reduces energy use for heating and cooling
Green elevators that work on traction, are more energy efficient, and don’t use hydraulic fluids
Trees from the site made into lumber; no old growth timber used or disturbed
Cisterns that collect roof rain water and supply landscape irrigation
First UNC site with reclaimed water for toilet flushing and other non-potable uses
Storm water management: porous pavers and underground storage of storm water that falls on parking areas
Recycled, regional, and re-used materials
Low VOC-emitting materials
Controllable windows for ventilation and to reduce reliance on central heat/air-conditioning
Daylighting
Diversion from landfill of construction waste
Sophisticated building management system to track, manage, and report energy use, water use, and other performance features
Native seed mixes for steep slopes and open soil
Spectacular architecture, covered decks, porches, windows, relationship to site, gardens, and trails
Private support from more than 400 individual donors—plus support from thousands of UNC students through the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee—made the building possible

*LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System: a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.