walnut creek urban wetlands educational park, visitors’ education center...

location: Raleigh, NC
est. completion date: 2007
project team:
Frank Harmon
Erin Sterling

project statement...

The Walnut Creek Urban Wetlands Educational Park will transform 49 acres of abused, polluted wetlands into a living, natural resource for the City of Raleigh. The park’s mission is to promote understanding of and protection for an urban wetland, enhance community pride, and encourage economic development. It will provide an accessible “quiet zone” for communing with nature while preserving the natural beauty of the wetland, protecting the habitat of numerous species, and lifting the spirits of those who visit it.

Phase one of the project calls for a 7000-square-foot Visitors’ Education Center that will house a bookshop, conference room, small library, and a kitchen, as well as classrooms and a laboratory. Here children and adults will learn about wetlands within a wetland. The center will also be connected to extensive trails and outdoor activities.

design solution...

Since the overall goal of Walnut Creek Urban Wetlands Educational Park is to conserve and protect a natural wetland, the architectural element must embrace the same mission. Thus, the Visitors Education Center has been designed to rest lightly upon the land, echoing and embracing the indigenous materials surrounding it. The structure will be poised six feet above the wetlands flood plain so that its footprint is minimal. The all-wood construction, which will utilize recycled materials wherever possible, will blend seamlessly into the landscape while an abundance of windows will welcome the surroundings into the building. The windows will also facilitate natural ventilation and allow daylight to illuminate the interior. All circulation will take place on the exterior of the building across generous porches that project out into the environment. A geothermal system will provide heating and cooling needs and photovoltaic panels will generate much of the Center’s electricity. The metal roof’s deep overhangs will protect the interior from the harsh summer sun. Rainwater runoff from the angled roof will be collected in cisterns for use in the Center. A system will also be in place to filter storm water runoff before it returns to Walnut Creek.