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Our
New Welcome Center
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 Come
in and Look
Around
Planned as a model of green
architecture, the Welcome Center takes advantage
of the latest advances and trends in environmentally-friendly
construction and design. We hope the Center serves as
an inspiration to individuals, businesses and organizations
planning to build or remodel in the future.
Go
Green!
How we design and build our homes and
other facilities and the product choices we make have
a significant impact on the environment. Green architecture
emphasizes the design and construction of high-performance,
sustainable buildings that minimize negative environmental
impact. Green facilities typically make optimal use
of natural light, employ the sun, the wind and the earth
for heating and cooling, and incorporate water-efficient
landscaping, as well as local products and recycled
and recyclable materials. |
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building was designed using the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines developed
by the U.S. Green Building Council, with the goal of receiving
a LEED rating. |
 Follow
the Sun
The orientation of any building is key to green
design.
The Welcome Center has an east-west orientation to maximize
southern exposure. An extended
overhang blocks the sun from the south during the
height of the summer, while still letting in plenty of
natural light. The large
sliding shutters are shading devices on the east and
west sides of the building. Many of the window shades
are made of a special material to disperse the heat of
the sun yet let in lots of light. |
Rain,
Rain,
Go
Away
 Rain
gardens in the center of the circular driveway
and on the south side of the building capture and hold
storm runoff. The gardens allow the rainwater to be
absorbed into the soil replenishing groundwater instead
of moving overland to the Des Plaines River.
 Our
amazing porous
asphalt parking lot is the first of its
kind in Lake County. It's design allows rainwater to
soak right through the pavement into a deep layer of
gravel, permitting the rain to infiltrate into the groundwater.
Rain runs off of regular asphalt and concrete paving
into the surrounding landscape, washing traces of oil,
gas, grease, road salt and other pollutants into the
nearest streams. Our parking lot's design reduces stream
pollution.
A small
silver cistern outside of the building collects
rainwater for watering plants. |
 Look
Out
Below!
Underneath the office area is a cistern,
a cement tank used as a reservoir to hold rainwater
collected from the rooftop. In the event of a fire,
the water in the cistern will be used to protect the
Welcome Center and other buildings in the farm area.
You can take a peek at the cistern through the viewing
window to the left of the reception desk. The pipes
leading down to the cistern can be viewed through a
small window just outside the library. |
Automatic
Pilot
Wherever possible, we installed automatic features
to help us efficiently use energy. Motion detectors turn
on lights when we enter the room and turn them off when
no one is around. Automatic toilets flush for us in the
bathrooms. Geoexchange technology, which uses the earth
to dissipate heat in the summer and gather warmth in the
winter, heat and cool the Center, while programmable thermostats
maintain the temperature.
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 Breathe
Deep
Inside air quality can be compromised by gases released
from paints, sealants, carpeting and furniture. We
chose products that don't release gases that negatively
impact our air-quality. In addition, there
is limited re-circulated air in the building and plenty
of natural ventilation, so breathe easy.
Something
Old,
Something
New
 You'll
see plenty of recycled and recyclable materials here.
The beautiful
porcelain wall tile in our bathrooms is made
from recycled tile and the stalls are made of recycled
plastic. Our entry mats are made from old tires.
 The
carpeting
in the library is made from recycled carpet. Divided
into carpet squares, we can replace any worn-out carpet
only where it is needed, saving further resources and
money.
 The
textured
cement block in the foyer includes fly ash and blast
furnace slag, industrial manufacturing byproducts that
typically end up in a landfill. Pressed wheatboard,
a renewable resource made from wheat stalks leftover
after harvest, has been used throughout the Center for
shelving, countertops, wallboards and table tops.
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 Reduce,
Reuse,
Recycle
Wherever we couldn't take advantage of recycled materials,
we made sure to buy recyclable products. For example,
our office furniture can eventually be recycled when worn
out, instead of ending up in a landfill.
Our metal
roof is not only made using recycled metal, it ultimately
can be recycled after its 50-year life expectancy. |
Are
We
Done
Yet?
Many of the wall and ceiling areas were purposely
left exposed. Though untraditional, we chose
to put the insulation on the outside. This allowed us
to save resources by using less drywall and ceiling tile
in the interior, creating a rustic and open aesthetic.
And, by using special installation techniques we receive
the added bonus of significantly increasing the insulation’s
effectiveness, reducing the amount of air leakage, and
lowering our energy costs. |
The
Bottom
Line
For most people, cost is a primary concern
when designing and constructing a new home or building.
One of the exciting advantages of green architecture is
the savings that can be realized over time.
For example:
- The Center's total utility bill is a fraction
of a standard building of this size.
- Because the water won't puddle we expect
our porous asphalt parking lot to weather longer than
standard paving.
- Our metal roof should last at least 50 years.
(A shingled roof typically lasts 15 - 20 years.
- After eight years, our geoexchange system will have paid for itself in energy savings.
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WE
COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!
We gratefully acknowledge the generous support
of the following grantors:
- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
- Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
- Lincolnshire Garden Club
- Office of Lieutenant Governor
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photography
by Sue Auerbach
Copyright 2001-10
Friends of Ryerson Woods
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