Galileo's Pavilion

Overland Park, USA

Architects: Studio 804

Location: Overland Park, USA
Year: 2012

The goals of the Johnson County Community College Center for Sustainability, combined with the need for additional classrooms at the ever-expanding college, led to a unique opportunity to create inspired learning spaces which also serve as an information center for the campus and community at large. The program called for two "inspired" classroom spaces as well as a student lounge that would serve as a teaching tool for the college's faculty to educate their own students about sustainable design.

JCCC's strategic plan calls for the college to champion environmental sustainability in curriculum and in the college's infrastructure, transforming the physical campus into a living learning laboratory. With these goals in mind Galileo's Pavilion was designed to take advantage of the daily and seasonal cycles of nature to passively heat, cool and daylight the building as well as supply electricity and utility water. Sustainable strategies include material innovation, rainwater harvesting, living walls and green roof trays in addition to active systems such as photovoltaics and a wind turbine. Galileo's Pavilion is expected to be Studio 804's fifth LEED Platinum building.