Collaborations in Conservation

Helping organizations achieve long-term sustainability and improving the quality of life for building inhabitants and visitors is core to our mission at SMP Architects. One such organization is the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). DCNR is responsible for managing over 2 million acres of state forest and 121 state parks. SMP has worked with DCNR for over twenty years, helping them realize a range of facilities including offices, public restrooms, welcome centers and environmental education centers. For SMP, each DCNR project is an opportunity to build within a natural setting while sensitively respecting and responding to each unique program and ecosystem. Our designs for the Tiadaghton Resource Management Center, Ohiopyle Falls Visitor Center, and Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park are helping Pennsylvania advance its leadership in sustainable design.

The Tiadaghton Resource Management Center functions as both a visitor resource and an office building for the PA Bureau of Forestry. The dramatic hillside location allows the building to both sit within the landscape and soar above it creating expansive views of the surrounding mountains. Sustainable strategies include daylighting throughout and a large visible green roof.

The Ohiopyle Falls Visitor Center acts as a gateway to the Laurel Highlands region and a point of interpretation of the river’s role in the regional ecosystem. With awesome views to the adjacent falls, the building features an ecological wastewater treatment system that filters and recycles the building’s wastewater for reuse.

The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park is a first of its kind for the PA state park system, offering guest comfort and amenities not offered in campgrounds or cabins. The design allows for spectacular lake views and is a popular bird watching destination. Sustainable strategies focus on stormwater collection via visible cisterns that store and reuse water for the inn’s laundry washing needs, greatly reducing potable water consumption.

Read more about these projects and how they are helping the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lead the way for a more sustainable Pennsylvania in a recent USGBC+ magazine article here: http://plus.usgbc.org/how-two-u-s-states-are-growing-and-gaining-in-sustainability/