Missoula Technology and Development Center: Shaping Solutions for the Forest Service
New Building Conserves Resources and Displays Technology
Our new facility lets us work effectively
while it conserves resources and displays
new technology. Recirculated groundwater
cools the building, which has no traditional
air-conditioning units. The system
saves energy and eliminates the use of
refrigerants that could contribute to global
warming. Natural light keeps most areas of
the building bright and cheery, even when
the energy-saving fluorescent lighting is not
turned on.
Switches allow one bulb or all three bulbs to be turned on in each fluorescent light. After working hours, timers automatically turn off all but a few lights. The system allows the number of lights left on to be varied during different conditions.
Urinals that do not require flushing save an estimated 60,000 gallons of water a year. Most of the site's landscaping consists of recently seeded native grasses and plants that won't require irrigation.
Pressed boards made from wheat straw
(otherwise a waste product) are used on
some walls, balcony rails, and in the reception
desk. Sweeping laminated wooden
beams reach from the floor more than 30
feet to support the roof, displaying modern
uses of forest products.
The facility was built with recycling in mind. The carpets, metal siding, and aluminum door frames and windows will be easy to recycle if the building is no longer useful.
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