• Zoo Education Center

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

The new thirty-eight thousand square foot, three-story Education Center houses the Zoo's Education and Nocturnal Adventures overnight program, Frischs' Animal Outreach program, a greenhouse that contains both a rain-forest exhibit and a hands-on classroom; and a theater / multi-use room that will be used for lectures, large workshops and fundraising events. Standard high school classrooms and a biology lab are provided for the fifty students attending The Zoo Academy - a collaboration between the Zoo and Cincinnati Public Schools that is now in its twenty-ninth year.

Ten studio classrooms face onto, and are entered from, a central two-story greenhouse "hub" in the form of a truncated-cone. The hub contains a "Discovery Forest" exhibit which features live Central and South American plants and animals, a waterfall, fishponds and a "Shaman's Hut".

The Center is certified LEED Silver. A 20kW photovoltaic array helps reduce reliance on grid-power. Waterless urinals and low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption. Interior finishes and materials are recyclable, rapidly renewable and low-VOC emitting. Roofing materials are high-emissivity / Energy Star rated. Exterior lighting is dark-sky compliant, interior lighting control is automated. Furnishings are Green-friendly.

Sustainable Features:

-public transportation access

-reserved parking for car pool and alternative transportation (bicycles)

-dedication of undeveloped area to remain as "open space" for life building

-preservation and reintroduction of native species

-reduction of roof "heat-island" effect using Energy Star rated roofing materials

-light pollution reduction

-water use reduction of 30%

-zero use of HCFCs, and Halons

-optimized energy performance for 30% reduction in energy costs

-20kW roof-mounted photovoltaic array

-recycling/waste diversion plan

-construction waste management plan

-high-recycled content

-Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management plan during construction and before occupancy

-use of local materials and products

-low VOC paints, sealants, carpets, and agrifibers

-use of rapidly renewable materials

-indoor chemical and pollutant source control (floor mats / venting)

-CO2, occupancy, and daylight monitoring systems

-daylighting, operable windows and integrated building controls for user comfort

-green-friendly furniture selections

-use of white oak tree (from site) for wood benches, paneling and trim