Connecting to Nature
Woodlands Stewardship Education Center
Woodlands Stewardship Education Center
This new interpretive facility provides an orientation to the natural and cultural resources of Fairfax County, Virginia. The Center fosters connections between visitors and the surrounding Ellanor C. Lawrence Park through indoor-outdoor exhibition, education, and play spaces.
Aiming to inspire visitors to be active stewards of the environment, the building demonstrates sustainable approaches and technologies they can implement at home. It is on track to be fully certified under the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous standard for building performance.
Every aspect of this facility is an exhibit that illustrates our connection to the natural world and creates an experience that will ignite the imaginations and creativity of young people through hands-on experiences and play.
A Living Building
The Center is targeting Living Building certification. Designed to generate more resources than they consume, only a handful of projects across the globe are certified as Living Buildings each year. The Center will be among the first Living Buildings in Virginia.
Cultivating Stewardship
The building is designed as a teaching tool. On-site solar panels and rainwater harvesting demonstrate methods visitors can use to reduce their impact on the environment, while interpretive signage invites conversations about sustainability practices, stewardship of natural resources, and the history and unique ecosystem of Fairfax County.
Regenerative Systems
Solar panels shading the Center’s parking area produce more power than the building needs, making the project net-zero energy. Stormwater collected from the roof and stored in a cistern provides water for toilets and irrigation, while potable water is supplied by a well.
Sustainable Materials
The building is constructed of renewable and salvaged materials including glue-laminated timber for structural members and reclaimed wood and metal for wall cladding. Simple building techniques mean any part of the building (or the whole thing!) can be easily dismantled and reassembled in the future as the park’s needs change.
