Batts Pavilion Lillian Anderson Arboretum

The project scope of this innovative 1600 sf Net Zero educational pavilion includes enclosed rooms for the College to use as classroom, research, and storage space and an open-air pavilion for public or educational use. It also provides signage, a new entry drive bus drop-off zone, visitor parking lot, barrier-free trails, and a restroom.
The design solution met the programmatic needs of the College and grant, while providing a physical demonstration of ecologically-sensitive design and construction consistent with the conservation mission of the Arboretum and ecological education focus of its educational programming. Ecological design features include:

• A clearing formerly used as a landscape waste dump and overrun with invasive species was restored and utilized as the site of the new pavilion, with the former access road converted to a barrier-free pedestrian trail.
• A team of oxen were used to transport the site-harvested red pines used for the pavilion columns from an area inaccessible by vehicles utilizing existing trails.
• The pavilion is fully off-grid, with an on-site photovoltaic (solar) array and energy storage system providing all required electricity for lighting, ceiling fans and power outlets.
• A waterless, composting toilet, the first permitted in Kalamazoo County, serves as an educational tool for the environmental education program, using microbes to treat waste.

Practice Areas