The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has made sustainable development a  primary objective of their new Visitor Center.  The design draws visitors into the landscape, minimizes the building’s impact on the site and creates healthy work environments for BBG employees.  Weiss/Manfredi was contracted to lead this expansion with JBB as the MEP engineer, and with Vidaris providing energy modeling, LEED/green consulting and Enhanced MEP commissioning services. 

Vidaris assisted the project team in pursuing a number of sustainability measures including a 4” green roof system which reduces storm water runoff and the urban heat island effect, capturing and infiltrating 100% of the site storm water, reducing the potable annual water consumption by more than 35% through selection of low-flow fixtures and protecting indoor air quality through specification of low-emitting materials. 

Energy conserving strategies included utilizing envelope and high performance glazing assemblies, bermed-earth construction at building’s north side, high performance Ground Source Heat Pumps, and CO₂ sensors with demand control ventilation.

Awards:

2013 American Architecture Award

2013 International Architecture Award

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