Twin Creeks Science and Education Center

The Twin Creeks Science and Education Center is a research and education facility, for the National Park Service, serving as the home for scientists working on the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) project, a decade-long project documenting the estimated 100,000 species of living organisms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The building facilitates research efforts to gain the knowledge that is essential for the effective protection and preservation of the Park’s ecosystem. The facility includes a high-bay flexible workspace where park scientists conduct most of their research, as well as a wet laboratory, a rearing room for cultivating and studying species collected throughout the Park, curatorial space for specimen archives, a high-tech GIS mapping room, classrooms and conference rooms, offices, and a storage room for field equipment. Sustainable features include high efficiency automatic lighting controls for daylight harvesting, an energy management system that initiates an economizer cycle for the heating and ventilation system, operable casement windows and individual HVAC temperature sensors in offices, high efficiency wood windows throughout the building and R-30 roof insulation, waterless urinals, low flow automated water faucets with mini hydroelectric rechargers, low-emitting paint, adhesives, sealants, and carpet.

This project was a Finalist, Government Building Category (Federal, State or Local) for Environmental Design+Construction magazine in 2008.

Acoustics

Architectural acoustics for the research facility.

Communications

Systems include a structured cabling system and outside plant.

Security

Intrusion detection and access control systems for the research and education facility.