GEORGIA PARK FACILITY JOINS ELITE RANKS OF
LEED™ PLATINUM-CERTIFIED BUILDINGS

LITHIA SPRINGS, GEORGIA—The Georgia Department of Natural Resources completed construction of one of the world’s most environmentally-friendly buildings. Sweetwater Creek State Park Visitor Center has earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation possible, and the building is one of only 20 LEED^® Platinum certified (New Construction) buildings in the world.

Located in the historic Sweetwater Creek State Conservation Park, the new Visitor Center serves as a gateway to the park trails and the historic New Manchester Manufacturing Company mill ruins. The site-integrated building derived its form from program requirements, site topography, climate, and solar orientation as well as from a strong commitment to remaining consistent with the park’s educational mission of preservation and conservation of the many natural and cultural resources that lie within it.

The site for the new Visitor Center had a very limited potable water supply and did not have access to a public sewer system. Long Engineering, Inc. was the civil engineer that tackled this shortcoming by designing a 15,000 gallon underground storage system to hold enough water to fight a potential fire. A portion of the Visitor Center roof is made up of a garden that absorbs much of the rainfall that falls on it. The remaining portion of the roof is used to collect rainwater that runs off the roof, through the downspouts and into a 10,000 gallon underground cistern. The water is then treated and used in a mop sink, lavatories, and foam flush toilets. 

Waste from these fixtures, as well as from a drinking fountain, waterless urinals and a shower, empty into compost bins in the basement of the building. The compost can be used as fertilizer and any remaining liquid is run through a septic tank and distributed through a drip irrigation system to plant roots in the center’s demonstration garden. The sewer system results in 100 percent of the waste being treated on-site in an ecologically healthy manner, without the use of chemicals. Unlike conventional sanitary sewer systems, this one eliminates the use of municipally provided potable water. When coupled with the harvested rainwater, which supplies over 44 percent of the building’s water needs, potable water use is reduced significantly by 77 percent.

 “The most successful examples of the built environment recognize their place within the natural order, working in harmony with the environment,” Dan Gerding of Gerding Architects said. “Eco-effective buildings that save water, materials and energy, while providing superior interior environments that promote occupant comfort and productivity, are by-products of good design.”

The total cost for the building, including the site work and exhibits, was also under $2 million, making the Visitor Center a full-scale demonstration for designing high-performance green buildings with a moderate budget, proving that through creativity and innovation, cost-effective, sustainable design is possible.

The 8,743 square-foot Visitor Center, which opened in October, includes exhibit areas, retail, administrative offices, an audio-visual room, multi-purpose rooms, a water quality lab and classroom, and restrooms. The building itself, as well as the exhibits it houses, will serve as accessible educational tools for the public to learn about and understand conservation. The Visitor Center is Phase One of a two-phase project. Phase Two will be underway after fundraising efforts are executed.

Long Engineering, Inc., located in Atlanta, is a full-service civil engineering firm specializing in land development, stormwater management, survey services, NPDES permitting, utility systems, and traffic and transportation services. For more information about Long Engineering, Inc., contact Colleen McNitt at 770-951-2495, or visit www.longeng.com.