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Scott's new Wister Center receives Green Building of America Award
posted 8/20/2009
Award received from the Real Estate and Construction Review for projects that are 'unique and challenging'
July 2009 – Wister Education Center and Greenhouse of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA received the Green Building of America award from the Real Estate and Construction Review. This award is given to projects that are “unique and challenging,” projects other architects could “learn from” with advanced “design, construction and technology” and a project the board feels is “cutting edge,” according to Lance Kamin, publisher of Real Estate & Construction Review.
The Wister Center was selected from more than 2,500 nominated projects and will be spotlighted in the special Real Estate & Construction Review-Northeast Green Success Stories edition in 2010.
The Wister Center is a new 5,200 square-foot Education Center and Greenhouse designed by Archer & Buchanan Architecture. The structure will help the Scott Arboretum accomplish it’s goals for advancing horticultural display, plant evaluation, public education, and volunteer support.
The project is anticipated to earn a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be the second LEED building at Swarthmore College and first silver certification, if successful.
The project will capture rainwater in a cistern to be used to water the surrounding gardens; the heating-air conditioning system will function on captured energy from the other heating and cooling systems on campus; all construction waste is sorted and recycled; and recycled, local materials are being used in the construction of the facility. To learn more about all our environment efforts at the Wister Center, visit http:// www.scottarboretum.org. To see ongoing photos of construction, visit the Scott Arboretum’s facebook page.
The Scott Arboretum is an educational garden of ideas and suggestions. Covering more than 300 acres of the Swarthmore College campus and exhibiting over 4,000 different kinds of plants, the Arboretum displays some of the best trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals for use in the Delaware Valley. Established in 1929 as a living memorial to Arthur Hoyt Scott, the Arboretum is open to the public year-round, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. Adam Levine in the November/December 2002 issue of Garden Design Magazine described the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College as “the most beautiful campus in America.” Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the Arboretum Offices at (610) 328-8025.