Zion Visitor Center
Images
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GENERAL INFORMATION
QUICK FACTS
| Location: | Springdale, UT |
| Building Type: |
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Outdoor Spaces
- Retail general
- Office
- Restrooms
- Lobby/reception
- Pedestrian/non-motorized vehicle path
- Wildlife habitat
- Parking
- Drives/roadway
- Interpretive Landscape
- Garden--decorative
- Shade structures/outdoor rooms
PROJECT INFORMATION
| Project Full Name | Zion National Park Visitor Center |
As a primary component of the Zion Canyon Transportation System, this low-energy, sustainable facility is the entry to a transit- and pedestrian-centered visitor experience, providing park information, interpretation and trip-planning assistance within a resource environment. The new visitor center is part of a transportation system that seeks to reduce resource impacts and enhance the visitor experience. Consisting of indoor and outdoor spaces for visitor services, this facility creates a setting to promote and interpret park resources and agency conservation values. In creating the Zion National Park Visitor Center, the National Park Service (NPS), working with DOE's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), has complemented Zion's natural beauty.
| Project Owner: | National Park Service/Department of the Interior |
| Owner Type: | Federal government |
LOCATION & CLIMATE
| City: | Springdale |
| State / Province: | UT |
| Site context/setting: | Rural |
OCCUPANCY
| Owner Occupied: | |
| Owner Type: | Federal government |
| Details About Occupancy: | The visitor center is open from 8:00 AM until 7:00 PM during the summer and until 5:00 PM during the winter. The building is cleaned from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM. |
VISITS & GUIDED TOURS
Visiting
It is possible to visit this project
Visiting Details:
The Visitor Center is open year round from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
BUILDING DETAILS
SCOPE
GENERAL FLOOR AREA
BUILDING
COMPLETION
DATE OF
OCCUPANCY/COMPLETION
COMPLETION NOTES
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND RESOURCES USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND LANDSCAPING
20% of materials, including stone, concrete, and paving, were manufactured within 500 miles (800 km) of the site.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT QUALITY
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Cool towers (which provide over 5 air changes per hour) and operable windows provide natural ventilation to building occupants. Thermal, ventilation, and lighting systems may be controlled by users. Extensive daylighting was implemented. The building remained unoccupied for 2 weeks following construction, while commissioning and final punch items were completed.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT STRATEGIES SECTION
- Use skylights and/or clerestories for daylighting
- Design open floor plans to allow exterior daylight to penetrate to the interior
- Provide occupants with access to operable windows
- Purge the building of VOCs during furniture installation prior to move-in
- Use a comprehensive commissioning process to ensure that design intent is realized
- Recommend a non-smoking policy for the building
DESIGN
DESIGN PROCESS
Measurement:
Metering and monitoring by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are currently underway.
DESIGN TOOLS
DOE-2.1e
SERI-RES
LESSONS LEARNED
Designing the electrical system and installing the conduit for future PV was ideal. When PV was added, it was installed in a few hours. The photovoltaic system and inverter are used for an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. A better definition of what loads were to be UPS-powered would have been useful. The UPS system is not guaranteed to provide continuous power. About 5% of the outgates have left the building with a brief (less than 1 second) outage--enough to reset computers. Some small UPS computer backups have been installed for the brief outages.
Cooltowers have worked as well as direct evaporative coolers except in the enclosed offices, where additional small fans were added. The recommendation is that cooltowers be used only in large open spaces.
Daylighting levels have been lower than anticipated. This was due to the large number of dark beams in the space and the white stained ceilings (instead of white paint, as modeled). In addition, bug screens on the operable windows have affected the daylighting level. The result has been additional operation of artificial lighting.
Trombe walls have exceeded operational expectations. However, a design change resulted in two enclosed offices against Trombe walls, and these offices tend to overheat. In large open zones, the Trombe walls are very effective.
FINANCES
FINANCE DETAILS
The Zion Visitor Center cost 30% less to build than a comparable National Park Visitor Center.
The project was federally funded and competitively procured.
Energy-saving measures will save roughly $14,000 per year and will result in about 10 kW of electric demand savings.
GENERAL ENERGY
GENERAL INFORMATION
A 70% reduction in energy use was met through the design and implementation of natural ventilation, efficient lighting, effective glazing, insulation, passive downdraft cooltowers, Trombe walls, photovoltaics, energy-efficient landscaping, and an energy management system.
The roof insulation is Structural Insulated Panels (SIP's). The walls are 6-inch steel studs with a spray-in-place foam insulation.
The cooltower design was adapted from a technique used to condition outdoor patio spaces. Hot dry air is drawn into evaporative cooling pads at the top of the tower. The air is now more dense and falls naturally through the tower into the space. High windows in the building relieve the hot air.
12% of the total energy load is provided by on-site PV, with an additional 10% allowed-for in the building design.
ENERGY DATASETS
| Dataset Name | Year | Is Default | Type | Purchased Energy (kBtu/ft²) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual--end-use metering | 0 | No | Actual--end-use metering | 39.33 |
SITE INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
Using this site, previously a campground, avoided unnecessary impact of natural and cultural resources. No undeveloped lands were used. Underutilized, existing areas in Springdale were used for parking and facility development. Construction was phased to minimize disturbance. Topsoil was stockpiled, runoff was diverted to existing sediment-catching areas, existing vegetation was maintained, no soil was transported off site, and dust control was implemented in roadwork adjacent to the existing campground.
Native low-water-use grasses and shrubs were used for landscaping. Historic irrigation channels were restored. Collected rainwater joins river water and is diverted through a series of gravity-fed irrigation ditches. High-efficiency irrigation techniques and drip irrigation with a weather data controller were installed primarily to encourage the reestablishment of native vegetation. (It may be possible to achieve 100% reduction of potable water for landscaping after plant establishment.)
- Previously developed land
LAND USE STRATEGIES
The site is within walking distance of two shuttle bus routes and commercial amenities. Bicycle and pedestrian transportation are encouraged through bike racks and shower/changing facilities.
- Ensure that development fits within a responsible local and regional planning framework
- Provide showers and changing areas for bicycle and pedestrian commuters
- Provide storage area for bicycles
- Select already-developed sites for new development
SITE STRATEGIES
- Select an already-developed portion of a site for new development
- Limit parking area
- Minimize development impact area
- Designate appropriate staging areas for construction-related activities
- Use light-colored pavement to reduce heat island effect
- Replant damaged sites with native vegetation
- Plant trees to shade parked vehicles
WATER
WATER STRATEGIES
- Select plants for drought tolerance
- Use appropriate grading to retain irrigation and reduce runoff
- Use water-efficient irrigation fixtures
WASTE
WASTE GENERAL
Cleared vegetation and pavement were recycled.