Scouts' honor

This building was designed around the Boy Scout values and respect for nature, as well as the fun of scouting

BY NIKI SWANK

The Marge Schott Scout Achievement Campus in Cincinnati stands out. It is first of all the first Scout service center in the country to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. It also has a climbing tower as a focal point when entering the building. Kids will be able not only to climb into the tower, but also race pinewood derby cars in the lobby, giving them a true taste of what Scouting has to offer.
Indeed, the entire building was inspired by the Scouting movement and its values.
The 27,000-sf single-story building is designed around a natural theme, with wood and earth tones, to fit the scouting environment and serve as the regional corporate headquarters.
The building is the result of a partnership between the Village of Evendale, the Gorman Heritage Farm next door and the Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America. Training rooms, conference rooms, a Scout store and areas designed to support Scouting activities are the building’s main functional areas, and the new place nearly doubles the previous Scouts Service Center in Walnut Hills. A special room is set aside for ceremonial and reflective uses, underscoring the Scouting value of reverence. A detached 2,400-sf shelter serves as a community event center for the village, educational farm and Scouts. This small, durable outdoor program area will provide an added draw to the new center incorporating the important element of the outdoors in scouting.
Lupe Lopez, lead architect of BHDP Architecture, explains that “these elements capture the spirit of the Boy Scouts and encourage interaction with others.” The transparent building also was built to “embody the scouting experience and get a new generation of Boy Scouts interested in sustainable design,” she says.
The marketing communications executive for the Dan Beard Council, Kent Brunner, says it was important to provide the greatest value to volunteers and youth. “The building was specifically designed to inspire youth and serve leaders by providing resources, technology, training and space to help facilitate our program. The building was themed to invite everyone in and foster education, ideation, growth, and support.”

Friendly
The vision for the center grew out of a 2005 strategic plan that concluded the Scouts needed to provide better resources to train volunteers and allow them to connect with each other and the youth they serve. BHDP Architects began the design during the summer of 2007 with the main intent to handle three factors: community, council and Scouts, and worked with the Scouts to focus on boys and nature through design meetings that recognized for their heritage among the Scouts and the use of natural materials.
A partnership was created when the village donated property to the Scouts next to an educational farm that used to contain a hotel. Lopez says that one big hurdle was working with the village during the design stage because it took more time, but at the end of the day, it meant everyone was happy with the outcome, and the council is better connected by providing regularly scheduled trainings and activities for youth.
One key was the donated site. “This site provides a location that breathes Scouting and allows the learning and leadership that youth experience to be used throughout the area to better impact our community,” says Brunner. The center was located in the council’s geographic population center, making it an under-30-minute drive for 85% of the council. Sean Easter of the architectural firm BHDP explains the site was selected because it was “convenient for the over 30,000 children the Council serves to get to.”

Thrifty
“We thought that it was important to engage the building process with one of the primary principles of Scouting, conservation and respect for the environment,” says Brunner. Easter says a major donor suggested the goal of LEED certification in early stages of planning, and that was a major focus for the project. According to Lopez, they designed the project responsibly from day one by incorporating LEED certification during the early stages of design. She says, “It also ties into the Boy Scouts’ regard for the environment.”
Cindia Wren of BHDP says, “The building reinforces the Boy Scouts’ values, which call for respect and minimal impact on our environment.” A self-guided walking tour of sustainable elements is displayed throughout the building, so Scouts can learn about the green qualities the building offers and educate other Scouts about green building improvements at the same time.
One of these elements includes material recycling: 80% of the construction waste was diverted, 20% was of recycled material. This made the design stage challenging; the center was constructed to seem like the Scouts built it. The center lookout tower is made of locally harvested trees. Rich Zoller of Messer Construction found a local specialty contractor who was involved in the Great Wolf Lodge water park in Sandusky to create a concept and bring it to life. “The Scouts wanted it to draw interest and get boys involved in Scouting,” he says.
Other elements include a white reflective membrane on the roof to prevent the heat island effect and an upward roof tilt to allow additional natural light into many of the spaces. Controllable systems containing LED lighting were installed in the parking lot, and timers on the indoor lights conserve energy when a room is not populated. A quantity control retention pond was constructed for stormwater management, and the center is located on a bus line, with parking spaces reserved for carpooling and fuel efficient vehicles.

Clean
The building also features high indoor air quality, with a pre-occupancy flush out to remove construction contaminants. According to Wren, this was a challenge, because the humid air Cincinnati experiences in the summer could have harmed the wood if not handled carefully.
Other green features include a sustainable site, water efficiency, energy efficiency, transportation and building maintenance, which is a program to educate employees on recycling, green housekeeping and green education. Wren says she is “pleased by the reaction received from the public during the grand opening. As the Boy Scouts’ first LEED-certified building, the project, I hope, will serve as inspiration for other Boy Scout councils as they contemplate future green buildings.”
Messer Construction finished fast-track construction in June 2009 after 12 months and under the $8 million budget. Zoller says the foundation and structural steel went out for bids in May 2008, and the other packages followed. “It went very smoothly and proceeded right on time,” he says. According to Brunner, many of the materials and services that went into the construction of the building were either donated or offered at a generous rate. Baker Construction worked on a volunteer basis and several other subcontractors donated work and supplies. “Several divisions of work were completed as gifts in kind,” Zoller says. He was concerned at the start, but everyone worked well together.
Brunner says one challenge they faced throughout the building process was meeting all of the LEED requirements in a timely and efficient manner that would not impact the overall design, timeline and budget. “Many of the LEED items required unconventional construction and building processes that had to be considered for the sustainable design. Getting into the requirement details early helped us to identify potential roadblocks and oversights,” Brunner adds.
A grand opening ceremony was held at the building, with the Gorman Heritage farm creating an explorable, friendly and open atmosphere, according to Lopez. She is proud of the project as a whole and the fact that it is used, as per the original intent, to be fun and educational. She concludes, “It’s great to see children interact with the building in the way we intended.” BXM

Niki Swank is a BX researcher and follows the Ohio
construction marketplace closely.

Owner: Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America
Architect: BHDP Architecture
CM: Messer Construction
Cost: $8 million
Size: 27,000-sf
Vendors:
n Maxim Crane Works, mass excavation & site grading
n Baker Concrete Construction Inc, building and
site concrete
n Champion Bridge Co, steel structure
n Planum Excavating, Inc., underground site utilities
n Ken Never Plumbing, underground plumbing
n Delta Electrical Contractors, underground electric
n Thompson Brothers Drywall, framing and drywall
n Feldkamp Enterprises, HVAC
n Exterior Systems, roofing
n Quality Fire Protection, fire sprinklers
n Northern Plumbing Systems, plumbing
n Landform Services, landscaping
n OKI Window Systems, aluminum and
curtainwall
n Valley Interior Systems, acoustical ceiling
n J. Construction Co., masonry
n ComTek Interiors, ceramic tiles
n McSwain Carpets, flooring
n Luken Construction, lookout tower
n GEG Painting, painting
n Blue Chip Pavement Maintenance, asphalt pavement
n Holthaus Signs, exterior signs
n Water Quality Systems, retention pond liner
n Contech Construction Products, drainage pipes
n Norwood Hardware, doors and frames
n LSI, fixtures
n The Depper Co., outdoor fireplace
n Nisbet Brower, windows
n Architect Sales, fire extinguisher, cabinets and bike rack
n Smith Architectural Products, floor mat
n Poletech Co., flagpole
n Playworld Midstates, shelter
n Midwest Metalworking, cabinets
n Tri-State Fabricators, aluminum flashing
n Railpro Railing Solutions, cable rail system
n ATC Associates, testing
n CBC Specialities, bath accessories
n Overhead Door Co., coiling grill
n Select Specialties, lockers
n Standard Textile, blinds
n Project Skills, waterproofing
n Modern Entrance Systems, doors
n Jones Fish Hatcheries, aerator
n Water Quality Systems, pond liner
n House Calls, final cleaning
n Mollett Gutters, gutters and downspouts