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Project:	Warren Skaaren Environmental Learning Center
Size:	3,000 Sq. Ft.
Location:	Travis County, TX
Architect:	Jackson & McElhaney Architects
Owner:	Westcave Preserve
Source:	Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Newsroom

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Roman Church Provides Inspiration For New Environmental Learning Center

When architect Robert Jackson stepped into the Santa Maria degli Angeli Church in Rome two summers ago, the experience sparked the perfect idea needed to put the finishing touches on an architectural endeavor back home in Texas.

Tracking The Sun

After studying a meridian line etched 300 years ago in the floor of the church— built at the request of Pope Clements XI to determine the exact time of Easter with the movement of sunlight— Jackson knew it was just the thing to work into the solar exhibit at the environmental learning facility his firm was designing at Westcave Preserve in western Travis County. The preserve is owned by LCRA and operated by the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corporation.

"I think architects always are keeping an eye out for ideas subconsciously. As soon as I saw the exhibit, I knew it was perfect for Westcave," Jackson said.

So when he returned, Jackson developed something similar for the learning facility in the Texas Hill Country 30 miles west of Austin. The design called for a sun aperture in the ceiling above the solar exhibit where sunlight is projected on the floor and crosses a meridian at local noon time each day.

"It's amazing that a one-inch hole in the ceiling can provide such a wealth of information about the cycles of nature," said Jackson. "Visitors will be able to track the seasonal movement of the sun to understand the relationship between the sun and the earth at different times of the year."

A Meeting Of Two Ecosystems

Westcave is a 30-acre natural preserve where the arid savanna of the Edwards Plateau meets a limestone canyon leading to a spring-fed waterfall and cave formations, a unique environment found in only a few places in Texas. The preserve is home to a number of plant and animal species, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

Jackson's firm, Robert Jackson Architects, began working on plans for Westcave Preserve's learning facility in November 1997. The facility, named the Warren Skaaren Environmental Learning Center at Westcave Preserve, was dedicated in a ceremony March 21 and officially opened to the public March 22.

Sustainable Materials

The firm designed the facility with sustainable materials to ensure the least amount of impact on the environment. For instance, the architects used recycled steel, rainwater collection and a concrete floor made with recycled power plant fly-ash content. The 3,000-square-foot building is an open-ended space with doors that open into a 1,750-square-foot terrace that overlooks a canyon.

"The learning center provides a gateway to the preserve. So we wanted it to blend in with its environment," said Jackson. "The idea was to provide outdoor classrooms — not just a building — where visitors can interact with nature by being immersed in the site and building and its learning exhibits and the natural environment around it."


Learning Opportunities

Several exhibits integrated into the building demonstrate relationships between living systems and their environments. The facility will provide numerous learning opportunities about wildlife study and observation, endangered species, biology, geology, astronomy, water harvesting, cultural and natural history and more.

"This was a dream project. The work was fun and rewarding, and the people I worked with made the experience unforgettable," Jackson said. "I couldn't have found better people to work with because everyone genuinely enjoyed what they were doing."


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