Primary Location Constant36°10’11.19”N • 115°11’23.28”W

Mojave DesertLas Vegas, NV

DESERT LIVINGCENTER & GARDENSA T T H E S P R I N G S P R E S E R V E

“... a fertile ground where culture embraces sustainability...”

2011 WMR DESIGN AWARDS PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM - Page 1 of 2Name of Project:

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Distinguished Building Awards- Recognizes significant achievements in the planning, design and execution of recent BUILT projects.Unbuilt Design Awards – Recognizes achievements in architectural design for commissioned projects that may or may not be built.

Type of Project:

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2011 WMR DESIGN AWARDS PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM - Page 2 of 2

Name of Project:

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Narrative (Limited To 400 Words):

CONCEPT STATEMENTLocated within the 180-acre Springs Preserve site, the Desert Living Center (DLC) is an interactive-based public outreach and applied research facility designed to “promote sustainable life in the Mojave Desert.” Through dynamic, ongoing free-learning education programs, the 54,000 s.f. center and gardens strive to create a unique sense of place while serving as a catalyst for individual and community change from being “in the desert” to being “of the desert.”

The campus consists of five main buildings and series of small auxiliary support structures integrated into the landscape and designed to function as full size “sustainable architectural exhibits.” The five principal buildings have similar architectural characteristics to integrate with land and adapt to the hot desert climate with minor variations from building to building. The purpose of this is to allow the buildings to address different sustainable design principles and measure their effectiveness at each building and to be used as comparisons to one another. Building features include but are not limited to the following; earth berming, roof configuration, exterior wall building materials, light shelves, cool towers, solar hot water heaters and radiant floor heating.

The goals for the Desert Living Center are grounded in a physical manifestation of sustainable facilities as well as in creating a vehicle for educational interaction and dialogue. This interaction with the structures, its exhibits, the gardens, and other visitors will serve as a cultural and social contribution toward living sustainably in the Las Vegas Valley and creating a more harmonious relationship with the Mojave Desert.

DESERT LIVING CENTER

“This fragile desert jewel offers its resources to the community, with the hope that strength, beauty and inspiration may grow from it.”

ARCHITECTURE & THE LAND

050'100'200'

HYDHYDHYDHYDHYDHYD

LIMITS OF C1034

LIMITS OF C1034

LIMITS OF C1035

LIMITS OF C1034

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101 Story 1" =100'

Desert Living Center & Gardens

Solar Calendar Gathering Space

Microclimate Exhibit

Desert Moon Amphitheater

Tool Shed

Frame House

Administrative/Retail CenterDialogue Center

Rotunda Galleries

Sustainable Living Center

Design Lab

The design approach was grounded in constant and stable timeless building strategies that define the “place” of the project and allow for flexibility to meet future owner, visitor, and community needs. The Desert Living Center honors the historical and cultural precedents of sustainability principles through applied research of other historical structures based on solar orientation and use of thickened walls as thermal mass to reduce heating and cooling needs. Cool towers and courtyard designs have been used in Middle-Eastern countries of similar hot arid climates for over a thousand years.

The basic design reflects the local environment at every opportunity, beginning with latitudinal/longitudinal solar orientation to optimize the benefits of the sun as a lighting and heating source, then designed for climate conditions and the physical environment. This concept continues underground, utilizing the earth as a thermal

insulator for the structures by integrating the buildings into the land. The design then carries above ground where the mass, thickness of walls, and depth of

openings assist in protecting heat gain and loss. This is capped by using long roof overhangs to protect the buildings from summer heat

gain while allowing the low sun of winter to warm the interior spaces.Watering Can Amphitheater

Constructed Waste Water Wetlands

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

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1 office2 conference room3 restrooms4 storage5 security6 courtyard7 elevator8 cool tower9 mechanical yard

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D E S E R T L I V I N G C E N T E R

10 meeting room11 lobby12 docent lounge13 docent work room14 reception15 temporary exhibit space16 solar calendar gathering space17 “a day in your life” sustainability gallery

18 food preparation19 sustainable home20 design lab21 technical training studio22 desert moon amphitheater 23 garden plaza24 loading25 drop off

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

016'32'64'

101 Story 1/32" = 1'-0"

1 office2 conference room3 restrooms4 storage5 break room6 courtyard7 elevator8 cool tower9 bridge

10 classrooms11 lobby12 “nature exchange”13 welcoming gallery14 reception15 temporary exhibit space16 resource library17 library garden18 overlook

19 loading20 drop off21 receiving22 electrical room

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D E S E R T L I V I N G C E N T E R

ADMINISTRATIVE/RETAIL CENTERStraw Bale Construction

“To inspire communities to sustain our land and embrace our culture.” - The Springs Preserve Mission

ADMINISTRATIVE/RETAIL CENTERA hands-on experience

for children to learn, discover and interact

with nature and its effect on the

environment.

The Desert Living Center used rice straw bales, an agriculture waste product, for two of the five buildings on site. The straw is an outstanding natural insulator which minimizes the heat load on the building and reduces the amount of wood framing needed.

Nature Exchange

Administrative Office

DIALOGUE CENTER

The cool towers serve as the primary cooling system, capturing warm desert air,

funneling it through moist pads and into the room, naturally cooling the building.

Passive Evaporative Cooling

Entry to the sustainability and temporary galleries.

SOLAR CALENDAR GATHERING SPACE

SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTER

Rammed Earth ConstructionLayers of local dirt are shoveled between forms and compacted

down, slowly building the rammed earth walls.

DESIGN LABRammed Earth Construction

The Design Lab offers Las Vegas residents and design professionals the inspiration, strategies and tools they need to influence the future of their community and environment.

WELCOMING GALLERY

The Welcoming Gallery features a scale model of the center. Visitors can also pivot touch screen monitors to explore the 3D model and watch flash animated explanations of the sustainable building techniques used on the site.

INSIDE/OUT GALLERY

Various interpretive sculptures were incorporated into the buildings and site. They highlight the energy-saving aspects of the architectural design, such as natural ventilation, solar angles, and reclaimed water.

SUSTAINABLE GALLERYThe exhibits illustrate the benefits of recycling, conservation and alternative energy sources in a fun and interactive environment for adults and children of all ages.

SITE GARDEN FEATURESIntegrated into the DLC buildings are five acres of gardens demonstrating desert-appropriate water and energy conserving design solutions. Garden exhibits are used to further Mojave Desert education in areas of conservation and protection of natural resources, landscape planting design and irrigation.

“The garden must be prepared in the soul first or else it will not flourish.” - English Proverb

DESERT LIVING GARDENS

Waste water wetlands system for the entire Springs Preserve site is located in the Desert Living Center Gardens. The wetlands cleans waste water which is pumped back into buildings to flush toilets, saving potable water.

Constructed Wetlands

TRANSFORMATIONWith over two million valley residents, Las Vegas is the world’s largest city incorporated post 1900. Today, we survive on a division of water rights among seven states and Mexico established by the Colorado River Compact of 1922, a time when Nevada’s population was less than 80,000. To protect this limited natural resource, this project was built to educate and transform our community from being “in the desert” to being “of the desert.”

AFTER OPENING• More than 800,000 people have visited the Preserve’s museums and galleries.

• Approximately 200,000 have attended a special event at the Preserve.

• More than 100,000 students have participated in field trips, making the Preserve the most visited attraction in Las Vegas for K-12 school groups.

• More than 1,000 local teachers have receive professional development training and the tools to conduct self-guided tours of the facility and enhance classroom and curriculum.

• More than 150 Eagle Scout projects have contributed to the ecological restoration of the site.

• Volunteers have contributed more than 102,500 hours of service.

• The Springs Preserve works closely with the Clark County School District, the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Reno, the College of Southern Nevada and other community organizations to develop and maintain curriculum that reinforces classroom studies and engages students throughout practical application.

• Free, interactive field trips led by staff and docents include pre- and post-visit curriculum developed for grade-specific audiences. Tour and activity themes include animals, sustainable practices, water, plants, archaeology, architecture and adventure.

“A true conservationist

is a man who knows that the world

is not given by his fathers,

but borrowed from his children.”

- John James Audubon