(Austin, Texas) May 7, 2014 – Sanders Architecture, an Austin-based architecture firm providing planning, design and construction administration services for residential, commercial and institutional projects, was honored by AIA Austin with a design award in the commercial new construction category for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Wildflower Center) admissions kiosk on May 1, 2014.
Austin architecture firm honored with award in the commercial new construction category
Sanders Architecture
In 2004, Christopher Sanders, AIA, founder and principal architect of Sanders Architecture, was appointed by the president of the University of Texas at Austin to serve a three-year term on the Wildflower Center’s advisory council. In 2011, Sanders Architecture was commissioned to design the welcoming, yet hard-working and ultra-sustainable admissions kiosk at the Wildflower Center. In addition to improving the overall flow and safety for guests arriving at the Wildflower Center, the design of the admissions kiosk also embodies the organization’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
“This building is a model for 21st century building practices and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, including water and energy conservation and the use of native plants on green roofs,” said Susan K. Rieff, executive director of the Wildflower Center.
The kiosk’s sustainable features include:
- Locally sourced cypress
- Renewable cork flooring
- Eco-friendly finishings, including low-VOC paints and adhesives, formaldehyde-free plywood and recycled denim insulation
- A green roof and wall irrigated by condensate water
- Solar panels, which power 67 percent of the building’s annual energy needs
“Inspired by greenhouses in the Wildflower Center’s gardens, the new admissions building serves as a ‘lighthouse’ to mark the entrance for visitors who predominantly arrive by automobile,” says Sanders. “Resting lightly on the ground, the building wears sustainability on its sleeve – a deliberate design decision intended to introduce the public to the research that happens behind the scenes at the Wildflower Center.”
In addition, in an attempt to lower the construction disturbance at the Wildflower Center, the kiosk was built primarily off site and later installed. Check out this video of the installation.