QBG Visitor and Administration Center, Flushing, USA

QBG Visitor and Administration Center, Flushing, New York, USA

Founded for 1939-1940 World’s Fair, the Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) in Flushing includes a number of gardens, where the visitors can see the peculiarities of the nature of the most ethnically diverse county in the USA. It is situated in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a historic land, which Francis Scott Fitzgerald described in his book, “The Great Gatsby”, as “a valley of ashes”. Built in 2007, by the design of BKSK Architects LLP, Visitor and Administration Center of Queens Botanical Garden is located on a site of 39 acres (15.8 ha). Gross floor area of the 2-story building is about 1,470 square meters (or 15,800 sq feet). The construction cost of the center amounted $12 million. The main contractor of the construction was Stonewall Contracting Corporation from New York.

The environmentally responsible building features a number of “green” elements: non-water urinals and composting toilets, digital lighting controls and photovoltaic collectors, as well as low-VOC paints and materials used during constructing. The building includes administrative offices, exhibition halls and meeting rooms, an auditorium and a reception. From the architectural point of view, the whole structure is composed of three parts: 1. a forecourt and roof canopy, 2. an administration building and a reception, 3. an auditorium. The efficient geothermal mechanisms organize the heating and cooling systems of the building. PV cells, installed on the green roof, produce 20% electricity for the building. The roof keeps the building warm in winter and cool in summer through insulation. Glass doors and operable windows provide natural light and ventilation. The energy-efficient building has earned highest LEED Platinum Certification.

By Astghik Atabekyan, www.building.am