Educating the Docents
Monday, June 20th, 2011During a recent trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay, ME, Mike Pulaski (Fore Solutions) and Austin Smith (Scott Simon Architects) educated the Garden’s docents about the new education facility – The Bosarge Family Education Center. The Bosarge Family Education Center aims to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest LEED accreditation possible, as well as to be a net-zero-energy building. Part of the LEED certification process is educating the future occupants of the building, and in this case, the volunteer docents who will educate the building’s visitors about the Gardens and of course, the new building.
The presentation was expected to be quick, and without many questions, but the group of docents turned out to be far more engaged than anticipated. The group, mostly senior citizens, asked some excellent questions and kept Mike, Austin and Nick Caristo (Construction Manager) on their toes. It was a pleasant surprise to realize just how knowledgeable the group was concerning green building principles and the environment, and how excited they were about being part of the process.
The docents asked many great questions showing that they had researched green building practices extensively and were well prepared for their future job. Of all the questions asked, perhaps the most piercing question dealt with the choice of windows for the project. The windows chosen for the project are high performance Unilux windows imported from Germany, and they asked whether it was feasible using windows that came from abroad opposed to sourcing local products. This question reflects a concern that is very relevant to the green building industry – is it better to source high performance imported products, or slightly less effective local products with a lower carbon footprint? This is clearly an issue that can be extensively explored and debated about, but Austin, Mike and Nick Caristo reassured the docents that this was a decision that was not taken lightly and discussed the various factors involved, and their motivation behind the decision. They explained that the decision hinged on aesthetic requirements, insulating performance (R-value), embedded energy (carbon footprint) and economic feasibility. The German windows fit the aesthetic requirements, out-perform the local options (they have a higher R-value) and were cheaper, even after importing them. However, they have traveled a long distance to get here and therefore lose out on the carbon footprint to the local counterpart. The docents discovered that the decision-making processes in the green building industry are often complicated and require compromise, but were convinced that importing the windows was the right decision. After the presentation, we had an opportunity to walk though the building and to inspect the windows in question – they are truly incredible windows that are clearly a cut above. Hopefully local manufacturers are working to match these high standards.
This experience in Boothbay allowed me to realize the vital role of education, across all demographics, in the built environment. Education will ensure that green building will create a lasting effect in the built environment because it helps everyone to understand the process behind sustainable design and the intricacies related to operating a green building. For a green building to achieve its full potential it needs more than just solar panels, intricate water management systems and high performance windows, it needs informed occupants willing to do their part too. Thankfully, the Bosarge Family Education Center has both – the place and the people.
- Nicholas Stipinovich is Fore Solution’s summer Green Building Intern. He is a Master’s of Architecture student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and spent a semester at RPI’s Center for Architecture Science and Ecology.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Bosarge Family Education Center at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was on September 29th. This high performance facility will meet standards to become a LEED Platinum and net-zero-energy structure. 
