Admissions Kiosk

Opened in March 2013, the Center’s Admissions Kiosk isn’t just green on top. Despite its small size, it’s positively packed with sustainable features, from repurposed denim insulation to renewable cork floors. It also features a “solar awning,” or protective shade integrated with solar panel cells, that delivers enough power to offset daytime operation of the kiosk.

The structure’s finishes — locally sourced cypress, low-VOC paints and adhesives, formaldehyde-free plywood — further exemplify environmentally sound building.

On top, native prairie grasses and wildflowers grow in 5 inches of SkySystem™, a green roof planning medium developed at the Center specifically for green roofs in hot climates. It helps keep the roots cool and the soil moist and is comprised of 100 percent recycled materials. The green roof — as well as a west-facing green wall — are irrigated by condensate water collected from the building’s air conditioning unit. (The same design was used for a kayak rental kiosk in The Woodlands, a planned community near Houston.)

Architect Christopher Sanders, a former member of the Center’s Advisory Council who designed the kiosk pro bono, says, “You can’t possibly know everything that’s going on at the Wildflower Center as a casual visitor.” His aim with the kiosk design was to put our work “on display the first moment you arrive.”

DIG DEEPER

Wildflower Center Living Architecture Projects
Video: Kiosk of the Future
See the Kiosk’s Real-time Energy Data

PRESS

Video: Design Award, American Institute of Architects – Austin Chapter

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