Shangri La: A Leed Platinum Project
- Conference
- Location
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Louisville, Kentucky
- Publication Date
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June 20, 2010
- Start Date
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June 20, 2010
- End Date
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June 23, 2010
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Construction
- Page Count
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18
- Page Numbers
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15.1061.1 - 15.1061.18
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--15870
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/15870
- Download Count
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848
Paper Authors
Enno Koehn Lamar University
Enno “Ed” Koehn is Professor of Civil Engineering at Lamar University. Dr. Koehn has served as the principle investigator for several research and development projects dealing with various aspects of construction. He also has experience in the design, scheduling, and estimating of facilities. He has authored/co-authored over 200 papers in engineering education, as well as the general areas of civil and construction engineering. Dr. Koehn is a member of ASEE, AACE International, ASCE, NSPE, Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and is a registered Professional Engineer and Surveyor.
Nishant Shah Lamar University
Nishant Shah was enrolled in the College of Graduate Studies and the Department of Civil Engineering at Lamar University. He was awarded the Master of Engineering (ME) Degree in 2009.
John Koehn Chadron State College
James F. Koehn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business and Economics at Chadron State College, Nebraska, where he is also the Director of the Nebraska Business Development Center. Koehn currently serves on the Education Advisory Committee of the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Accounting degrees from Rice University and earned a Juris Doctor from Baylor University. Koehn has worked for an international accounting firm in both their Houston and New York City offices, and he practiced tax and corporate law in Austin, Texas. Dr. Koehn is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the State Bar of Texas.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
SHANGRI LA: A LEED Platinum Project Abstract
Over the years Shangri La has represented a place of beauty, peace and enlightenment. Today, nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a program of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, the man who originally developed it more than 60 years ago.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum certification for LEED®-NC1, which verifies the design and construction reached the highest green building and performance measures. Specific green features are included in the LEED section of this paper.
As one of the most earth-friendly projects in the world, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature. The combination of gardens and nature at Shangri La presents a serene oasis for retreat and renewal. It also gives civil and construction engineering students the opportunity to explore, discover and learn the concepts of sustainability.
Introduction
“Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of individual perspiration”. Without gardens the world will be like a black and white movie. This, now-a-days no one would like to prefer. There are lots of other forms of entertainment today. However, nothing can replace gardens and forest woodlands. They give us immense satisfaction and peace. They also help in reducing environmental hazards.
Shangri La is one such kind of a garden. It is a botanical garden which covers 252 acres land in the heart of a city. This garden has more than 300 plant species which attracts tourists, botanists, etc.
Shangri La
'Shangri La' is a place of beauty, like a paradise on earth. In 1942, lumberman and philanthropist Lutcher Stark began designing and constructing his own Shangri La on a 252-acre site along Adams Bayou, a cypress/tupelo swamp in Orange2, at the far southeastern corner of Texas near its border with Louisiana. By 1950, as national magazines gave the place widespread exposure, thousands of people were visiting the site. Unfortunately, in 1958, a snowstorm also visited the town, destroying and eventually closing the garden for approximately 50 years.
In 2002, the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation3 decided to rebuild the botanical garden. The foundation hired noted landscape architect Jeffrey Carbo, of Alexandria, La., and terrestrial ecologist Michael Hoke, (Fig. 1) recipient of a presidential teaching award and founder
Koehn, E., & Shah, N., & Koehn, J. (2010, June), Shangri La: A Leed Platinum Project Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--15870
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