VAN DUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN VISITOR CENTRE
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Energy + Materials Petal Certified
The design of the Van Dusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre, located in Vancouver, British Colombia, was heavily influenced by natural shapes and forms. The shape of the building was inspired by an orchid, with curving petals centered around a central oculus that provides light, ventilation and focus to the central atrium. These shapes include few right angles and resist straight lines, and as botanical motifs directly tie to the plants at the core of the centre’s mission, while also enhancing circulation and creating a striking backdrop for events and activities. The interior of the building, with curved walls and undulating ceilings, evokes movement through spatial variability, while the exterior rammed earth walls, crafted of multiple types of local soil, exemplify the use of natural materials to connect the building directly to the local environment.
HAWAI’I PREPARATORY ACADEMY ENERGY LAB
Kamuela, Hawai’i, United States Of America | Living Certified
The Hawai’i Preparatory Academy Energy Lab is located on one of the sunniest and windiest places in the United States. While the location presented some challenges, it also created unique opportunities to incorporate evolved human-nature relationships into the design. The structure provides prospect and refuge, while maintaining strong connections to natural light, fresh air and expansive views. Offering security and protection from the elements, the building strategically includes openings with distant views that provide occupants with moments of tranquility and reverence for the surrounding natural environment of the rolling foothills of the Kohala Mountains. The structure includes elements of order and complexity, exemplified by the simple form and natural materials palette juxtaposed with complex patterns of light and varying views and perspectives throughout the building. The building blends into the landscape and provides a place for occupants to safely observe and admire the natural environment.
DIXON WATER FOUNDATION, BETTY & CLINT JOSEY PAVILION
Decatur, Texas, United States Of America | Living Certified
The design of the Betty & Clint Josey Pavilion in Decatur, Texas strongly evokes place-based relationships. Located in northern Texas, the project was built to further the mission of the Dixon Water Foundation and to educate visitors on watershed protection through sustainable ranching and ecological restoration. The building blends in with the natural landscape, using the central oak tree as a natural gathering space, exemplifying the biophilic element of landscape features that define building form. The pavilion’s location near the tree is meant to serve as a point of refuge, while providing expansive views and contributing to a geographical connection to place and creating an immersive experience in the native tallgrass prairie. Using landscape orientation, the structure strategically uses the natural breeze to provide passive ventilation so occupants are still connected to the natural environment, even when inside the open-air structure.
PERLITA PASSIVE HOUSE
Los Angeles, California, United States Of America | Energy Petal Certified
The Perlita Passive House team conducted extensive research into the project site in order to inform the project’s design. The team set themselves up for the successful incorporation of biophilic design through a carefully planned and executed Biophilic Design Exploration, which included a variety of stakeholders. Through the Exploration, the project team developed a clear, visual matrix to track their biophilic design goals carefully through each stage of the process. Biophilic elements include a rain garden with a wooden bridge to help connect occupants to the seasons and cycles of precipitation. Crossing over the rain garden is intended to provide a transitional space for visitors from the car-centric neighborhood into the curated space that was designed for human comfort and the inclusion of biophilic elements. The natural materials, including the wood used on the bridge and the interior stone floors, are meant to provide a grounding experience for occupants. The interior spaces have been intentionally designed to include high ceilings that allow ample natural light. There is variability throughout the house so occupants can experience areas of light and shadow, as well as prospect and refuge. Upstairs windows look out over the surrounding hills, providing views and vistas.
