Maroney Rural Learning Center

Phase 2 | Howard, South Dakota

MARONEY RURAL LEARNING CENTER

AIASD Merit Award 2011

The Maroney Rural Learning Center grew out of Miner County Community Revitalization after the wild success of that organization in bringing new business and new life to Howard, South Dakota and the surrounding area. The group’s mission is to “reimagine rural” and create a sustainable, vibrant future for the nation’s small communities.

In order to meet their growing vision and expanding services, the Rural Learning Center began planning a new facility to be located adjacent to their existing building on Main Street in Howard. The design team led a series of community charettes to develop the program, layout and form of the building.

The final complex was broken into phases: I: Existing building II: Conference, restaurant, hotel and fitness areas III: Large conference room, conference breakout rooms, office/ incubator space and public plaza IV: Theater and classrooms V: Additional hotel rooms

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The goals for Phase II were to combine disparate program elements into a cohesive whole, create a new, reinforcing and energizing presence on Main Street, prominently display sustainable features both in and outside the building, and reflect a distinctly rural character.

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Phases I - V

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The program elements were organized along a circulation spine on the north side that will eventually wrap a central plaza and create a gallery that links the fully realized complex. The restaurant faces Main Street to increase the vitality of the streetscape and create opportunities for outdoor dining. The kitchen includes space for community members to create and perfect their culinary products for retail sale. A gift shop featuring local goods and the hotel reception/ office area are centered on the hallway and flexible conference space is buffered from the other building uses, on the west side.

A prominent elevator and stair tower at the northeast corner leads to the upper level. The tower is designed for a future water tank for gravityflow rainwater reuse and supports a vertical-axis wind turbine, creating a landmark that is visible from the highway four blocks south and many miles beyond that. A fitness club overlooks Main Street from the upper level, offering services to hotel guests as well as the general public. Twentyfour hotel rooms make up the remainder of the floor.

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Rural imagery is present throughout the project.

The Main Street faรงade is detailed and scaled to complement the existing storefronts and strengthen the historic streetscape.

The corrugated metal siding on the tower and north faรงade offer a contemporary interpretation of a silo and machine shed. The cement board siding on the west and south facades reflect the neighboring residential properties. A unique hallway creates informal gathering spaces, incorporating salvaged grain bin roofs accented with skylights and recessed display areas.

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Ground Level Plan - Phase II

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Reused materials, many salvaged by deconstructing a long-abandoned American Legion community building located at the rear of the site, account for a large portion of the finishes, including metal roof panels reused as siding, grain bin roofs at the upper level hallway ceiling, stamped tin ceiling panels in the hotel rooms, wood countertops in the hotel rooms, slate from chalkboards at the upper level lounge fireplace, wood columns repurposed as fireplace mantles, wood ceiling panels in the north corridor and restaurant, wood wall panels at the main dining room, and maple floor in the dining rooms.

Many recycled-content and regional-origin materials were also incorporated, such as wheatboard ceiling panels, recycled glass countertops, carpet tile and brick.

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Sustainability is a cornerstone tenet of the Rural Learning Center’s mission to reinvigorate communities. This project is conceived as an educational journey, and the building offers many teaching opportunities related to green building technology.

An energy dashboard monitor located in the main corridor gives visitors an overview of all the building systems and real-time energy usage, including the solar PV and solar water heating panels located on the upper roof.

A roof drain pipe is left exposed further down the corridor, made of a clear plastic to allow a direct view of the rainwater catchment system in action.

Geothermal wells are marked in the landscape to pique visitors’ interest before they even enter the building. Finally, an intensive green roof with native plantings, located above the north corridor and visible from the street, is accessible from the stair tower for an up-close view of the aesthetic and environmental benefits of this system. The project is targeting LEED Platinum certification.

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Second Level Plan - Phase II

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East Elevation - Phase II

North Elevation - Phase II

The Maroney Rural Learning Center stands as a symbol of the organization’s vision to revitalize and sustain rural communities, and inspire new rural leadership.

Sustainable features included in this phase: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Solar PV panels Solar water heating panels Wind turbine White roof Intensive green roof Rainwater catchment system with cisternexposed drain leader in corridor Geothermal heating and cooling system Screen doors & operable windows for natural ventilation Low-flow fixtures with one waterless urinal Lighting control system Skylights & exterior glazing for natural daylighting Views to the outdoors Salvaged and reused materials Regional materials Recycled materials including concrete, steel, glass countertops, fiber cement siding Rapidly renewable materials Native landscaping Rain garden Low/no emitting VOC materials Control over thermal environment & lighting Green cleaning program Green education program Energy dashboard display Use of green power

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