Kreher Preserve & Nature Center Environmental Education Building

Nestled within the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center (KPNC), the new environmental education building promotes wonder and exploration of the natural world and cultivates a sense of stewardship toward our community and environment. Inspired by nature-based learning that children experience and imagined as an extension of the network of trails throughout the preserve, the building is organized along a central “learning trail” spine. Light-filled classrooms alternate with administrative area and series of porches that extend out into the natural woodlands beyond.

The butterfly roof structure and operable windows allow for ample daylight and natural ventilation to increase sustainable, lower energy operation of the building. Biophilic design principles reinforce the connection to nature, with exposed southern yellow pine throughout, direct outdoor views in all spaces, CNC cut outs of nature motifs and details like butterfly door handles that accommodate both adults and children. Consistent with the mission of KPNC, trees are preserved and incorporated into the design and stormwater is managed on-site with rainwater collected from butterfly roofs directed to a bioswale. Constructed from locally sourced timber, the building celebrates the potential of wood – aesthetically, economically, and environmentally. The preschool will incorporate cross laminated timber (CLT) produced in Alabama with southern yellow pine as a demonstration of this new, sustainable building product with great potential for the region’s forestry-based industries. Exposed natural wood ceilings, walls, floors and open porches make sustainable forestry a tangible part of the user experience that promotes physical, mental and emotional well-being.