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SKETCH_PAD © Press Release |
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CATALYST Begins Work On LEED-Platinum Visitors Center in CA  PRESCOTT, AZ- As part of a
continuing contract with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, CATALYST
ARCHITECTURE has embarked upon the first phase of work for a new
Visitors Center for the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (SLNWR) near
Los Banos, California. In the initial information gathering phase
of the work, CATALYST Principals Matthew Ackerman and Jeffrey Zucker
will travel to the site this month to meet with the (SLNWR) staff, as
well as the engineers from the USFWS, to discuss their visions for the
facility, tour the site, and collect data pertinent to the design
process.As on previous projects, CATALYST ARCHITECTURE Design Team intends to collaborate with the Biomimicry Guild for the initial Site Planning and Architectural Design of the Visitor's Center project, drawing upon the Guild's expertise to learn from nature, in order to model our design solutions upon the successful adaptive strategies that the plants and animals have utilized over the centuries to cope with and thrive within the environment of the SLNWR. With assistance from our staff Permaculturist, the team's Site Planning phase will follow the principles of Whole Systems Design, taking into consideration such features as Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Infiltration, and Native Plant Xeriscaping.  The
Visitor's Center structure itself will be approximately 14,000
square feet, with a goal of seeking a LEED-Platinum
certification. Consistent with the firm's mission, CATALYST will
be pushing the boundaries of sustainability. We will go beyond
such simple "green" strategies of low-embodied energy materials, and
energy-efficient design to instead seek integrated building and site
development solutions which perform ecologically as well as or better
than the natural ecosystems they replace. To do so, the CATALYST
Design Team will utilize Ecological Performance Standards to assess the
integrity of the ecosystems before and after construction.
Employing Ecological Performance Standards allows the Design Team to
determine design success, by evaluating the roles of 'ecosystem
services', which include such functions as Water Conservation, Waste
Recycling, Air Filtration, Stormwater Management, Climate Moderation,
as well as simply providing "Beauty". Links: Biomimicry Guild Ecosystem Services CATALYST ARCHITECTURE is an award winning, full-service sustainable design firm with offices in Prescott, and Flagstaff Arizona. The firm specializes in master planning, public/tribal, commercial, and custom residential work, with an emphasis on high-performance, resource-efficient design and construction practices. With both principals Jeffrey L. Zucker and Matthew B. Ackerman LEED accredited, Catalyst is committed to the thoughtful integration of our natural and built environments. |
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