Battelle Darby Creek Environmental Center

The Battelle Darby Creek Environmental Center is an educational nature center where visitors learn about the park’s diverse ecosystems. The building features a 53-foot-long living stream, which reproduces the waterway habitats found within the park. Other interactive exhibits are also featured, allowing guests to engage in the natural world.

The primary design challenge for the project was the placement of the building in the fragile setting of the park. The building was oriented on the site to provide an overlook for the natural prairie that supports bison and also to look toward Battelle Darby Creek. The building orientation supports the principles of climate-responsive design and other features such as natural ventilation and geothermal heating and cooling systems.

A green roof with native vegetation integrates the building into the surrounding landscape. The green roof and the sloping site required careful coordination and planning to design the structure appropriately. Careful coordination was also required to provide adequate structural support for the living stream, which is supported on a structural floor.