Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center

This article appeared in the November 2019 issue of ARCHITECT as part of our expanded coverage of the 2019 AIA COTE Top Ten Awards.

This habitat for pollinators shows how effective management of an ecosystem can improve conditions for local species, even if that habitat is smaller than what existed before.

Located on the 1,100-acre grounds of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, less than 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis, the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center forms the nucleus of a new area centered around food production and sustainable land-management strategies. With the University of Minnesota as the client, “we had a very supportive user for a sustainable project,” says MSR Design founding principal emeritus Tom Meyer, FAIA.

The locally based firm began by developing a master plan for the property: a former farm that had lain fallow for some time. There were some inherent advantages in achieving the project’s sustainability goals. For instance, all rainwater can be managed easily on-site. But there were also considerable disadvantages. In its preexisting condition, 96% of the land supported vegetation, but much of that was dominated by invasive species, and it supported little biodiversity. MSR’s plan reduced the percentage of land that supports vegetation to 64%. New landscaping is designed to transition the site back to native species and increase the effectiveness of the remaining habitats.

Part of the reduction in vegetation can be accounted for by a modest 7,530-square-foot center that MSR designed to incorporate exhibition space, a multipurpose learning lab, a demonstration apiary, and a honey extraction room that provides public education on pollinators and their role in sustainable ecosystems. The center’s configuration encourages interaction between its functions, and the interiors open onto demonstration pollinator gardens, beehives, and future food production plots.

The new building defers to the only existing on-site structure: a 120-year-old red barn. “We wanted the barn to remain at the center of the campus as a historic icon,” Meyer says. Thus, the new structure, while larger in size, is lower in height; its two-tone natural finishes are intentionally more muted than the barn’s traditional red. The center’s primary structure is long and gable-roofed and runs east–west on the site, but it’s split in the center to diminish the effect of its overall mass; the south entry, which faces the barn, is topped with
a low shed roof.

Inside are “large rooms without any interior structure,” says associate Eric Amel, AIA. A simple wood-framed, glulam truss system—sheathed in structural insulated panels—maximizes insulation while creating a soaring space that looks out to the prairie at either end. The designers doubled the number of necessary trusses—they occur every 4 feet—to create a better rhythm, a sturdier structure, and a clear reference to the framing in the historic barn.

The Discovery Center’s metal roof reprises that of the barn, while the exterior Accoya wood cladding is rendered in ­natural and shou sugi ban finishes that alternate yellow and black on the surface of the building. The siding is geared toward the bees in more than coloring: traditional exterior varnish is harmful to pollinators. On the interior, “we tried to hide any plastic and PVC,” Amel says, as they’re also harmful to the bee population—a sensitivity that extends to the design of the gardens, lawns, orchard, and restored prairie as well.

Using time-tested passive strategies, including a well-insulated envelope, radiant heating and cooling systems, a geothermal field, and photovoltaics, resulted in a 71% EUI reduction from the national average for the building type. A sanitary drain field helps with water conservation and obviated the need for a half-mile-long connection to the municipal sewer system.

In recent years, MSR has embraced COTE criteria as their primary approach to sustainability. “We’ve set a performance goal for the firm to have all our projects approach regenerative levels by 2026,” Meyer says. But it’s not only about energy, as the focus on local ecologies in this project demonstrates. Without fail, he says, “design is always front and center.”

Project Attributes
Architect: MSR Design
Owner: University of Minnesota | Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Location: Chaska, Minn.
Project Site: Previously developed land
Building Program Type(s): Education—General
Year of Design Completion: 2016
Year of Substantial Project Completion: 2016
Gross Conditioned Floor Area: 7,530 square feet
Gross Unconditioned Floor Area: Zero
Number of Stories: One
Project Climate Zone: ASHRAE 6A
Annual Hours of Operation: 2,236
Site Area: 121,210 square feet
Project Site Context/Setting: Rural
Cost of Construction, Excluding Furnishings: $3.25 million
Number of Residents, Occupants, and Visitors: 30,000

Project Credits
Project: Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Center, Chaska Minn.
Client/Owner: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Architect: MSR Design, Minneapolis . Thomas Meyer, FAIA (founding principal, principal-in-charge); Eric Amel, AIA (associate, project architect); Chris Wingate (associate, project designer); Daniel Winden, Brent Freeby, Ben Lewis, Emilie Kopp, Sam Clausen (project team)
Structural Engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson
MEP Engineer: MEP Associates
Civil Engineer: Pierce Pini & Associates
Construction Manager/General Contractor: Loeffler Construction & Consulting
Landscape Architect: Damon Farber
Lighting Designer: MEP Associates
Technology Specialist: Elert & Associates
Museum Planner: Jim Roe Museum Planning
Detailing Consultant: James Larson
Audiovisual Consultant: Tierney Brothers
Size: 6,700 square feet
Cost: $430/square foot

Materials and Sources
Acoustical System: JohnsManville
Adhesives/Coatings/Sealants: DOW Corning; Tremco
Building Management Systems/Services: Johnson Controls
Ceilings: O’Keefe
Concrete: DayCo Concrete Co.
Exterior Wall Systems: Ray-Core
Flooring: DayCo Corete Co.; Rubble Tile
Furniture: Ideal Commercial Interiors
Glass: Viracon
Gypsum: Georgia-Pacific
HVAC: ClimateMaster; Goodin Co.; REHAU
Insulation: Dow; BASF
Lighting: Barn light Electric Co.; Lithonia; Gotham Lighting; Hydrel; Evenlite
Lighting Control Systems: Acuity Controls
Metal: TEK Steel Fabricators; Rakks; LSV Metals
Millwork: Smart Cabinetry
Paints/Finishes: Delta Millworks
Photovoltaics: SolarWorld
Plumbing/Water System: SPS
Roofing: CMG
Site/ Landscape Products: Commercial Asphalt Co; Arteka Cos.; RamyTurf Products
Structural System: Western Archrib International; Littfin
Windows/Curtainwalls/Doors: H Window Co.; Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope