continued

To connect with nature, most environmental education centers have been set in the country, often in a nature preserve surrounded by living wildlife habitat. Fronting on a regular city street, while backing onto the acres of open space of Riverside Park, on Milwaukee's east side, the Urban Ecology Center seems to get the best of both. The urban location encourages neighborhood drop-ins ranging from the house painter in spattered coverall with an interesting spider to identify, to the kid after school pausing for a round of foosball in the main room then settling into volunteer work for the center.

The main entrance to the building is on the south, past the rainwater-retention pond and a garage built of salvaged brick. The front doors enter straight into the main hall of the building, centered on a double-height space around a high-efficiency wood stove, with a modest reception area to the side. The warm wood paneling of the main interior space is a donation by Menominee Tribal Enterprises from their sustainably managed forest — one of many gift and salvage elements throughout the construction.

The couches and chairs framed with bark intact and the railings around the atrium carry some of the building's many stories. Urban Ecology Center director Ken Leinbach worked with local premium furniture maker La Lune, a Riverwest company, to have some of their naturally-finished woodwork made for the center from sustainable willow and poplar rather than their standard sources. The resulting process has evolved into a line of sustainable furniture for La Lune to add those more woods to their product line.

The main space also exhibits the flexibility of space that helps the center function gracefully. Functioning as a large hall that can hold several dozen visitors, the space is also provides comfortable gathering places for small groups, with wall inflections, furniture groupings, and variations in ceiling height providing soft degrees of separation.

The pervasive spirit of play in this environmental education center appeals to children of all ages. From a small "secret" door on the north side, dual slides sweep down to the main space, through a passageway painted as a stream and its banks.

Behind the brick chimney and wood-paneled back wall of the main space, staff offices occupy three levels of a backstage realm. One office is paneled with wood from local high school bleachers, and another with wood from an 1850 mill. Staff area countertops are made from wheat board (ground wheat shafts bound with nontoxic glue), and the floors are covered with carpet made from recycled-rubber.

Staff, students, and other visitors are all encourged to mingle at at the common snack corner on each floor in the main space, and a single set of shared restrooms serves each floor as well.

The building's second floor continues the fun, flexible space. Subspaces can be defined by movable dividers, built economically with hollow-core-door construction, and painted pro-bono by a noted illustrator living in the neighborhood, with scenes of the adjacent Milwaukee River. Native plants grow on shelves in the south windows. Operable windows allow natural ventilation.

One anonymous wood-paneled wall includes a large pivoting section that opens to the "Camouflage Room." Donated used carpet squares cover the floor in movable tilings which users are encouraged to rearrange. Windows provide ample daylight, which can be modulated by four ceiling-hung sliding mural panels, which rest neatly between the windows when not in use.

Outside, the second floor decks connect to a roof garden over the garage space. Even more exciting is the observation tower. The 75-foot (23-meter) tower offers an elevated perspective on the surrounding landscape. The parkland and river to the west and north are naturally beautiful, and the view also encompasses the harder beauty of post-industrial and neighborhood areas adjacent to the center in other directions. Also visible from the tower is the 44.4-kilowatt rooftop photovoltaic array, installed in 2007, which pumps electricity into the city's grid.

A controllable web cam atop the tower provides virtual access for those who can't climb its steps. On the north side of the tower is an extensive climbing wall. Members of the Urban Ecology Center can borrow canoes, skis, mountain bikes, and other adventure equipment, as well as tools.

The center simplified class access for the several schools in its two-mile (3.2-kilometer) service radius by getting its own fleet of small buses, driven by specially-trained volunteers. Staff are encouraged to bike to work, and the basement includes showers and locker rooms for communter support.

The center's Galvalume® corrugated steel roofing and siding is made from 80-percent recycled content and will be fully recyclable at the end of its life, which should be long and low in maintenance.   >>>

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Beyond a small vestibule, several informally defined program areas are combined to form a single grand space at the Urban Ecology Center. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images At the center of the Urban Ecology Center's ground floor is a delightful hearth, open to the second floor above. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Extra Large Image Site plan drawing of the Urban Ecology Center. Image: The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image First-floor plan drawing of the Urban Ecology Center. Image: The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image Second-floor plan drawing of the Urban Ecology Center. Image: The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image Section drawing of the Urban Ecology Center looking east. Image: The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image The Urban Ecology Center's interior is framed, finished and furnished with a thoughtful combination of new and salvaged materials. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Slides allow students entering from the rear of the Urban Ecology Center an alternative to a half flight of stairs. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.