SEC TION 06 | COTE SUPER-SPREADSHEET

COTE SUPER-SPREADSHEET

INTRODUCTION

INTEGRATION

The center—the fifth project funded by the zoo bond—provides a home base for thousands of children who participate in camps and classes annually and serves as a regional hub, expanding the zoo’s youth programs through collaborations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other partners. The center includes classrooms, meeting spaces, gardens, and a Nature Exploration Station (NESt), inspiring visitors to get outside, learn about nature, and take action on behalf of nature.

COMMUNITY

Oregon Zoo Education Center has been involving the community from the early stages of the design. The zoo created a planning committee representing 20 local and regional stakeholder groups deeply connected to natural environments, sustainability, and education. These groups provided guidance on the center’s themes and content, and as a result, it has become a regional hub for the conservation community.

ECOLOGY

The project responded by restoring the native understory with endemic plants. Native wetland and upland plants were used to construct bioswales and stormwater detention facilities, replicating the ecoregion’s forested wetland ecotype. A variety of interactive outdoor spaces — that include native planting, bioswales, a nature play area, and contemplative forest zone — are complemented by the birdfriendly design of the building’s exterior

WATER

Oregon Zoo project focused a lot of attention on rainwater mitigation and reuse. 75% of rainwater is managed on site and 56% of it is consumed. The interconnected system of rain gardens and planters slows the flow of rainwater, and the plants and soil filter out dirt, oil, and pollutants while providing habitat for small creatures like the chorus frogs that moved in immediately after completion.

ECONOMY - NO DATA

ENERGY

WELLNESS

There were several measures taken to promote occupants and visitors wellness in Oregon Zoo Education Center: response it elicits — a feeling of shelter while maintaining a connection to outdoors. Low-emitting materials that meet low-VOC levels were used to ensure good indoor air quality.

Large openings in the classrooms, café, and NESt exhibit hall provide natural ventilation and a direct connection to the outdoors. A benefit of the bird-friendly pattern on the glazing is the biophilic

RESOURCES

CHANGE

DISCOVERY

Post-occupancy evaluation includes energy and water consumption, occupant surveys, and observational studies of how the buildings and exhibits are used. By monitoring energy use and production, several installation issues were discovered: the PV array was installed with incorrect wiring and not producing at full capacity (this issue has since been corrected), and several meters were not installed correctly (the correction is currently underway). Rainwater collection and potable water use is tracked; results from 2018 revealed that the toilets are used more often than predicted, but potable water use has been more than offset by higher volumes of captured rain and nuisance groundwater than predicted. A post-occupancy evaluation performed in 2018 explored occupant comfort, indoor air quality, lighting, acoustics, health and wellness, aesthetics, and user behavior. Lessons have been shared with a larger audience in collaboration with the owner:

SUMMARY

RESULTS

Overall the Project reached its main goal, which is to inspire visitors to engage in sustainable actions through very high performance of Community Engagement

Score, Level of Post Occupancy Evaluation and Knowledge Distribution/Transparency.

Oregon Zoo Education Center also reached high levels of performance in Ecology, Water, Energy and Wellness strategies -- aspects very important for a nature oriented educational facility.