Construction Updates >

EXPLORING THE NATURE OF CHANGE

Like other educational institutions, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center has been working on our interpretive plan that will help drive our programs, building, site, and hands-on educational exhibits. Many nature centers interpret their resource and the animals that live there. With an urban nature center undergoing a huge restoration effort, we have the ability to do something different and unique. We are pleased to announce the theme for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center as “Exploring the Nature of Change”.

The hands-on educational exhibits at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center are to be considered as a tool for reaching our mission “to awaken and connect participants to the beauty of the natural world in the heart of Columbus and inspire environmental stewardship in their daily lives

The exhibits will interpret the elements of change found in nature and draw parallels to similar change elements in the urban environment to erase the lines made between the city and nature. They will model a process for making behavioral changes in the best interest of conserving natural resources and enhancing the quality of life and the quality of environment in the heart of Columbus.

Our mission is two fold, aiming to both connect participants to nature and inspire stewardship of it; our theme encompasses the two. At the same time the natural site that the center will soon reside is unique in that it will be an ongoing site for restoration. It is a natural resource once degraded and now undergoing a huge transformation. This element of change is the basis for our programming and is the reason we gain support for this project.

Our theme “Exploring the Nature of Change” is appropriate because change is a part of every organism’s life. Some changes are biological and others are the result of choice and behavior. The sub themes understanding the process of change, understanding biological change, and understanding environmental change, promote conservation action. Understanding change requires skill in making observations. In determining the direction of behavioral change humans observe, document and decide. . Organisms experience change both internally and within their environment.

Many biological changes experienced in the natural world are similar to changes found in the urban environment. Our natural world is constantly changing. Changes are happening at a global level that can be felt locally. People affect and are affected by those changes. Even though our center is yet to be built, we have been an agent for change in the community we serve.

GREEN BUILDING

The Grange Insurance Audubon Center will be striving to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Silver Level. Our design team has worked had to design a sustainable building and site. Often the most sustainable materials to use are none at all. A few of green design principals that we are using at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center are:

Use of Available Energy Sources on the Site

• Building orientation utilizes daylighting
• Geoexchange heat pumps use constant earth temperature to provide both heating and cooling, minimizing dependence on fossil fuels

Building Mechanical Systems

• Geoexchange heat pumps
• Low-flow, low water usage plumbing
• Waterless urinals
• Dual flush toilets

Materials and Indoor Air Quality

• Use locally available materials to reduce impact of transportation
• Use of recycled materials
• Use of durable materials
• Low VOC finishes

Construction

• Exposed concrete floor as finished floor eliminates the use of additional materials
• Building overhangs help control sunlight and reduce summer heat gain
• Contain dust and runoff to minimize effect on site
• Employ construction waste recycling program