The Highlands Center for Natural History's James Learning Center, awarded LEED-Gold certification in 2008, is the first LEED-certified building in Prescott, Arizona, designed with a site-sensitive approach to protect existing ecosystems. The building incorporates advanced sustainable features such as a butterfly roof for rainwater collection, natural daylighting, passive solar heating, and locally sourced materials, emphasizing energy efficiency and flexibility for educational purposes. Its design reflects a commitment to environmental stewardship, achieving significant energy savings while minimizing ecological impact.

1. The Highlands Center For Natural History
JAMES LEARNING CENTER
Winner of the 2010 AIA Sustainability Award
Prescott’s First LEED Certified Building
First LEED-GOLD in Yavapai County
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View of south façade at dusk
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2. site-sensitivity
A Site-Sensitive Approach
As an environmental stewardship
organization, a site-sensitive approach for
the building's placement on the land was
imperative.
Leaving the majority of the 80 acre site
undisturbed for hiking trails, as well as to
protect existing plant and animal habitat,
was an essential consideration.
A small clearing near the existing structures
and parking lots, with favorable solar
access, and an east-west orientation (for
passive solar optimization) was ultimately
chosen for the Learning Center building pad.
Plan at right shows only the developed
portion of 80 acre property (approx 6 acres).
NOTE: Site is heavily wooded– not all trees
are shown.
LEGEND
1 James Learning Center 5 Amphitheater building (existing)
2 Natural detention glade 6 Interpretive sculpture
3 Sidewalks (existing) 7 Restroom building (existing)
4 Parking lot (existing) 8 Water storage tank (existing)
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3. contextual design 4 5
A Natural Context
The 80 acre site was
provided to the Highlands
Center as a long term
lease from the Prescott
National Forest.
Careful integration with
the existing buildings, as
well as with the densely
forested site, was a
Designing With Nature
paramount consideration
for the building’s
The vertical log support structure
placement and design.
echos the many pine trees which
surround the building site (image
Though the new building
below & left).
form is a dramatic 3
departure from the
existing structures, similar
materials, finishes and
colors (wood, stucco, and
metal roofing), help
contextually integrate the
new building with its
surroundings.
1 2
LEGEND
1 East roof edge drainage point (looking SW) 4 Existing Restroom Bldg. (from building pad, looking SE)
2 South façade (from Amphitheater Bldg., looking NW) 5 Existing Amphitheater Bldg. (from Bathroom bldg., looking SE)
3 West façade (from highway access point, looking East)
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4. space–efficiency
High Efficiency + Maximum
Flexibility
Development of the floor plan focused
on achieving a maximum efficiency of
space usage, with a minimum of
single-use corridor or hallway space.
Flexibility within the administrative
areas was also a key concern, as
evolving programs required adaptable
staff and volunteer work areas, space
arrangements and relationships.
South facing stone interior walls
(denoted in red) constructed with rock
collected on site, provides efficient
thermal storage for the low-angle solar
gain available during the coldest
months.
The curvilinear south exterior wall
helps visually tie the building to the
organic forms found on the site.
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5. integrated high-performance CAD model showing primary
mechanical and structural systems
High-Performance Design
Diagrammatic section at right
shows the integrated high-
performance design systems of the
James Learning Center.
Operable clerestory windows north
and south, sized for maximum solar
gain and daylight contribution (with
minimal heat loss), also serve to
ventilate the building when needed.
A south facing interior stone wall,
built from rock harvested on site,
stores solar heat during the cold
winter months, warming the building
and stabilizing indoor temperatures.
Deciduous vines trained over the
lower south-facing windows, allows
sunlight into the building during the
winter, while shading out solar gain
during the summer.
Section looking west through Welcome Center/Bookstore and Mult-Purpose Classroom
Reflective light shelves north and
south help bounce additional LEGEND
daylight into the interior of the
building.
1 Deciduous vines on trellis for summer shading 6 Radiant heat in 5” stained concrete floor
2 Light shelf (in front and behind trellis) 7 Locally harvested tree poles
3 Operable clerestory windows for natural daylight and ventilation 8 South facing 8Kw photovoltaic array
4 Inverted roof for rainwater catchment 9 Light shelf and mechanical plenum
5 Natural stone wall for thermal storage 10 Operable windows for daylight, views and ventilation
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6. South façade from
southeast corner
organic design
High-Efficiency In An
Organic Form
The exterior form of the
James Learning Center is
intended to address several
needs. First, as a demon-
stration facility, the primary
function of the building is to
teach (via example). Towards
that end, both the design team
and client agreed that as a
teaching instrument, the
building must strive to capture
not only ones attention, but
ones imagination as well.
The soaring lines of the
butterfly-shaped roof appear
An Expression of Values
as if poised for flight. This
organic design, however, also
Computer modeling established the
serves other more practical
precise curve of the roof in order to
purposes, namely that of
provide effective shading for the
creating space for the north
clerestory windows during the cooling
and south clere-story
season, while allowing solar gain to
windows, as well as providing
penetrate the upper windows during the
a very visible rain-water
winter heating season.
collection device.
An organically shaped south wall
expresses the environmentally rooted
mission of the Highlands Center
organization.
View of building from southwest
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7. Left: Natural stone wall in
Welcome Center/Bookstore
light & warmth looking northwest
Far Left: Multi-Purpose
Classroom looking northeast
The interior spaces were designed for maximum
comfort and flexibility. A linear storage bay along the
south wall provides ample table and chair storage for
the Learning Center’s diverse program needs.
Louvered storage doors help distribute heat from the
adjacent interior thermal mass stone wall into the
classroom area.
Dimmable fluorescents, along with north-facing
clerestory and eye-level windows provides an even,
well-lighted interior. Natural woods, a 5" thick stained
concrete floor, and soft earth tones create a warm,
comfortable environment for learning.
Reception Area
clerestory windows
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Multi-purpose Classroom looking
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southeast
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8. green details
Tree-Huggin' Details By Hand
Hand-made artwork and custom resource-conserving
details and can be found in and around the James
Learning Center:
1 Dark-sky compliant custom exterior light fixture
(Artist: Royce Carlson)
2 Custom metal rainwater catchment at east end of
building (Artist: Royce Carlson)
3 Typical wood bracket detail at post top (along south
roof edge)Interpretive,
interactive brass sculpture “Equipoise” (Artist:
4
Heather Johnson)
1
3
4
2
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9. off-the-shelf sustainability
OFF-THE-SHELF SUSTAINABILITY
& TRANSFERABILITY
While the exterior of the James Learning Center
was purposefully unique, it was also our client’s
intention that visitors to the Highlands Center be
able to learn about sustainable design strategies
that could realistically be integrated into their own
home or business.
In response to this, the James Learning Center
employs numerous “off-the-shelf” sustainable
design and building technologies that could easily
be incorporated into a private home or business.
These include:
 Proper building orientation
 Passive solar design
 Thermal mass
 Natural daylight and ventilation
 Directionally appropriate glazing
 2 x wood framing (smaller structures only)
 Locally harvested materials
 Rainwater harvesting
 Water-saving plumbing fixtures
 Native plant selection
 Non-Toxic materials & finishes
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10. water efficiency
Water Conservation Strategies (Building and Site)
Water is one of the most critical development issues in the southwest. In response, the
James Learning Center utilizes several water savings strategies both inside and outside of
the building. Among these are:
 Low water-use plumbing fixtures
 Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment
 Rock weirs to slow runoff, control sedimentation, and encourage recharge
 Meandering runoff for self-watering landscape
 Minimized exterior hardscapes
 Use of native, low-water plants to restore disturbed areas
 Drip irrigation used only for establishment of plants (or during drought conditions)
 Butterfly roof shape provides rainwater catchment for landscape irrigation
Innovative Water Conserving Design Features
The butterfly roof stands out as the most memorable design element of the building. As
stated previously, the dramatic roof shape functions not only to collect rainwater, but to
educate– by raising awareness of the preciousness of water as a vital resource.
At the center of the butterfly roof valley, a large “cricket” helps channel water out towards
both the east and west ends of the building, where the flow is then captured into large
collection funnels, and then directed into the landscaping. The plant life which relies on this
water includes the deciduous vines which play an active role in shading the building during
the summer cooling season.
Water Catchment Device
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11. natural daylight & ventilation
Lighting Quality
The lighting system for the building is primarily composed of natural daylight. Reflective light shelves,
exterior hardscape, interior and exterior soffits, as well as finished ceiling materials were selected based
on their ability to maximize the amount of natural daylight that could utilized within the building’s interior.
This design effort directly reduced the amount and size of powered lighting that was then required.
Dimmable fluorescent strip lighting makes up the majority of the powered lighting within the building,
which is manually controlled, when needed, by the Highlands Center staff.
Overall electrical and lighting considerations played an important part in the conceptual orientation and
design of the building. Since 100% of the building’s power comes from the Learning Center’s 8Kw
photovoltaic solar array, every energy drawing item within the building had to analyzed for its anticipated
electrical draw. All lighting systems, equipment, appliances, and computers were considered, and then
re-considered in light of their potential electrical needs.
Thermal Comfort
Thermal comfort was addressed early on in the design process by taking full advantage of proper solar
orientation. An east-west alignment for the building, along with windows precisely sized and placed for
optimum passive solar gain contributed the structure’s highly-efficient energy performance. Operable
clerestory windows stack functions by admitting solar gain and providing ventilation. The upper roof
overhang provides shading for these windows during the summer, while vine covered trellises provide
shading for the eye-level windows below.
The building envelope itself is insulated with an R-28 blown-in cellulose in the walls, and an R-34 spray-
foam insulation in the roof. Thermal mass is provided by a 4” thick natural stone (interior) wall veneer, as
well as in the 5” thick stained concrete floor slab, helping to keep the Learning Center’s indoor
temperatures comfortable and stable throughout the year.
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12. resource conservation
Local Materials Used
Local materials used include tree poles which provide the main vertical structural
support of the building, natural stone used to create thermal mass inside the
building, as well as concrete block used to create stem walls and the earth
sheltered retaining wall, located along the north side of the building.
Regionally manufactured products include the standing seam metal roof, as well as
the evaporative cooling units which were each fabricated in the metropolitan
Phoenix area. LEED credits for Storage & Collection of Recyclables, Construction
Waste Management, and Local & Regional Materials all contributed to the overall
resource conservation qualities of the building.
Innovative Resource Conservation
One of the more innovative resource conservation strategies employed on the
James Learning Center is the building-integrated use of plant materials for solar
control. The use of these deciduous vines along the south side of the building (see
CAD model image at right) eliminated the need for a more expensive, resource
intensive solution, that would have required actual roof overhangs, or other
constructed forms to provide.
Shading perfomance CAD simluation for vine covered trellis
Our use of these plants materials for solar control on the James Learning Center
required only a light gauge metal frame, steel cable, and some water collected
from the roof.
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13. ecological impact
Minimum Ecological Impact
As an environmental stewardship organization, our client’s value of building lightly on the land was of
paramount importance. The selected site did not require the clearing of any additional land, nor was a
single tree removed for the construction. The building pad location was selected based on its proximity to
the existing developed areas of the property, as well as within an existing clearing. LEED credits for Erosion
& Sedimentation Control, Reduced Development Footprint, and Minimized Site Disturbance were all earned
for this project.
On a more global level, minimal ecological impact was achieved through the use of renewable (solar)
energy which supplies 100% of the building’s electrical needs, as well as through the used of recycled,
locally harvested, and regionally manufactured products. No refrigerant cooling was used in the building, as
the Learning Center also earned LEED credits for CFC Reduction and Ozone Depletion.
Features Relating to Sustainability
Because the building was to be off-grid, many of the energy-efficient strategies selected were employed out
of sheer necessity. The most striking feature of the design, its “butterfly” roof, addresses several energy-
saving strategies at once; providing the high clerestory windows for natural daylight and flow-through
ventilation, as well as for passive solar optimization of winter-time solar gain, and summer-time solar
shading. Combined, these energy efficient design strategies allow almost 70% of the building’s heating and
cooling needs to be supplied passively.
Another architectural feature of the design that provides for energy-efficiency are the building’s wood and
metal trellises (images at right), positioned over the lower, eye-level windows along the structure’s south
elevation. These engineered trellises were designed to support deciduous vines, allowing sunlight to
penetrate these windows during the winter months, while shading them during the summer. The Learning
Center’s appearance therefore takes on an intentionally different look throughout the year, as the building
exterior literally “responds” to the seasons.
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14. heating & cooling systems
Mechanical System Selection
Significant contribution of the passive design elements of the building (quantified through
Energy Modeling of the building) allowed a sizable decrease in the size and type of
mechanical systems required to heat and cool the building.
Additionally, energy systems constraints, as well as owner/occupant values and comfort
needs, also helped determine the final mechanical system selection. As an environmental
organization attuned to outdoor experience, neither the executive director nor support staff
of the organization required, (or desired) refrigerant cooling, for example. The design-to
temperature for the winter heating season was a modest 68°, with a summer design-to
Real-Time Computer Simulated Solar Modeling
cooling temperature of 78°.
This less-demanding comfort zone requirement, combined with the passive energy
contributions of the building itself, pointed towards variable-speed control evaporative
cooling, and in-floor radiant heating as the appropriate heating and cooling system options
for the James Learning Center.
Life Cycle Considerations
Life cycle cost considerations relative to the mechanical system choices for the Highands
Center are consistent with the values of the organization for choosing high durability, low-
replacement cost systems. The selected boiler’s lifespan, of between 25-40 years,
combined with the life span of the PEX radiant in-floor tubing (between 50-100 years) is
higher than comparable forced air systems.
On the cooling side, evaporative cooling boasts one of the more favorable life cycle cost
scenarios, as both first cost and annual operating cost are much lower compared to a
typical refrigerant cooling system.
Evaporative coolers located on north side of building
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15. energy modeling
Energy Simulation Analysis
Results of our energy simulation analysis are summarized in the table and chart at right. In all, the
Highland Center for Natural History will achieve $2,350 (66%) in annual utility savings per year as
compared to a minimally compliant ASHRAE 90.1 building. Approximately 50% of the energy
savings on the building can be attributed to the 8Kw photovoltaic system, which has been designed to
provide 100% of the building’s electrical needs.
Initial energy modeling demonstrated that, based on the quantifiable amount of passive
heating and cooling contribution of the building itself, just how little supplemental heating and
cooling would actually be needed. Graph at right illustrates the expected amounts of radiant Energy End-Use Simluation Model
heating (red bars) and evaporative cooling (blue bars) needed on throughout the year on a
month to month basis.
Mechanical System Energy Requirements
Total building system energy requirements from graph at right are as follows:
Space Heating: 11,900 BTU/ sq.ft./ year
Space Cooling: 00 BTU/ sq.ft./ year
Fans: 400 BTU/ sq.ft./ year
Pumps/Aux: 1,500 BTU/ sq.ft./ year
TOTAL 13,800 BTU/ sq.ft./ year
The 13,800 BTU/ sq. ft./ year energy requirement is roughly one-fifth (1/5th) the typical
energy required for a conventional commercial building of similar size.
Heating & Cooling Operation Mode
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16. LEED-Gold Summary
The James Learning Center was awarded a LEED-Gold certification in February 2008, making it the
first LEED certified building in Prescott Arizona, as well as the first LEED-Gold facility in Yavapai
County. Below is a summary of the credits earned in each of the six LEED categories.
SUSTAINABLE SITES MATERIALS & RESOURCES
Prq_1 Erosion & Sedimentation Control
Prq_1 Storage & Collection of Recyclables
Cr_1 Site Selection Cr_2.1 Construction Waste Diversion 50%
Cr_4.2 Alternative Transportation- Bicycle Support Cr_2.2 Construction Waste Diversion 75%
Cr_4.4 Alternative Transportation- Carpooling Cr_5.1 Local & Regional Materials
Cr_5.1 Open Space Protection & Restoration
Cr_5.2 Reduced Development Footprint
Cr_7.1 Heat Island Reduction
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Cr_8 Light Pollution Reduction
Prq_1 Minimum IAQ Performance Site Selection
WATER EFFICIENCY Prq_2 Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control
Cr_2 Ventilation Effectiveness
Cr_1.1 Water Efficient Landscaping Cr_4.1 Low-Emitting Adhesives & Sealants
Cr_2 Innovative Wastewater Technologies Cr_4.2 Low-Emitting Paints & Stains
Cr_3.1 Water Use Reduction Cr_4.4 Low-Emitting Composite Woods
Cr_6.1 Controllability of Systems
Cr_8.1 Daylight- 75% of Spaces
ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE
Cr_8.2 Views- 90% of Spaces
Prq_1 Fundamental Building Commissioning
Prq_2 Minimum Energy Performance
Prq_3 CFC Reduction in HVAC & R Equipment
INNOVATION IN DESIGN Typical trellis detail at south façade of building
Cr_1 Optimized Energy Performance Cr_1.1 Sustainable Education Program
Cr_2.1 Renewable Energy 5% Cr_1.2 Geen Maintenance Polices
Cr_2.2 Renewable Energy 10% Cr_1.3 Exceed Renewable Energy (40% +)
Cr_2.3 Renewable Energy 20% Cr_1.4 Exceed Energy Performance (65% +)
Cr_4 Ozone Depletion Cr_2 LEED™ Accredited Professional
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17. acknowledgements
LEED-GOLD PROJECT TEAM
CLIENT STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING PHOTOVOLTAIC DESIGN
Nichole Trushell, Executive Director Sandy J. Herd, PE Ben Mancini
HIGHLANDS CENTER FOR NATURAL HISTORY CARUSO TURLEY SCOTT, INC. EV SOLAR
Prescott, AZ Tempe, AZ Chino Valley, AZ
ARCHITECTURE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LEED CONSULTING
Matthew Ackerman, LEED-AP AIA Pete Kunka, PE Mark Wilhelm, LEED-AP
CATALYST ARCHITECTURE, LLC KUNKA ENGINEERING, INC. GREEN IDEAS, INC.
Prescott, AZ Phoenix, AZ Phoenix, AZ
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING LEED DOCUMENTATION
Barnabas Kane, ASLA Robert T. Haines, PE Patricia Olson, PhD LEED-AP
T. BARNABAS KANE & ASSOCIATES HES CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC. ECOLOGICAL BY DESIGN
Prescott, AZ Prescott, AZ Prescott, AZ
LIGHTING DESIGN ENERGY MODELING & COMMISSIONING CONTRACTOR
Richard Landry, LEED-AP IESNA Henny Van Lambalgen, PE CEM Tom Haley, LEED-AP
RTL DESIGN, LLC QUEST ENERGY GROUP, LLC HALEY CONSTRUCTION, CO.
Chandler, AZ Tempe, AZ Prescott, AZ
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18. Truly you have created a building that is a
magnificent marriage of form and function. I know
that I am proud to have been on the board that
chose your design. I send you and your team a
heartfelt THANK YOU.
With deep gratitude,
- Joan Dukes
Highlands Center for Natural History
Board Member
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View of south façade at dusk
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19. C A T A L Y S T A R C H I T E C T U R E
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