The Evelyn Pease Tyner Interpretive Center / Glenview, Ill. /Set amidst Air Station Prairie, a 32 1/2-acre (13-hectare) remnant of tall-grass prairie north of Chicago, the 3,000-square-foot (279-m2) center educates visitors about the history and ecology of the Illinois prairie ecosystem while serving as a showcase for cutting-edge technology and techniques in green-building development. In 2007, the project received LEED for New Construction Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C. One of the contributing factors to certification was the center’s 4,000-square-foot (372-m2) vegetated roof, which was planted with native and ornamental species to replace lost land area from the building footprint. The vegetated area covers three-fourths of the building’s roof. Any runoff from the roof slides down rain chains into a re-established prairie where it migrates through the soil before entering wetland systems adjacent to the building. The building is placed on a pin foundation to create minimal site disturbance and allow the building to rest between two existing wetlands without compromising either one or harming the building. Photovoltaic panels and a geothermal loop create on-site renewable energy.

PROJECT SUBMITTED BY WIGHT & CO., CHICAGO, WWW.WIGHTCO.COM