SEC to Unveil Teaching Pavilion at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve this Friday
SEC to Unveil Teaching Pavilion at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve this Friday
For Immediate Release
Apr. 26, 2021
Birmingham, Ala. – The Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College will officially unveil the Sharon Burrow Teaching Pavilion at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve this Friday, April 30, 2021. The formal dedication will be held at 10 a.m.
The pavilion is designed with multiple purposes in mind. In addition to providing shelter and support facilities that will allow the Southern Environmental Center to expand its already-robust programming for K-12 and college students throughout the region, it can also host public events, concerts, weddings and other medium sized gatherings that are drawn to the woodland setting along the creek.
Visitors are treated to long views along the creek bed of well-managed native landscaping dappled with shade from a hardwood woodland. Given the intrinsic beauty of the site, ArchitectureWorks struck a good balance between a generous scale that would be a suitable backdrop to those sorts of gatherings and a simple, sturdy, and easy to maintain structure that compliments its natural setting without overpowering it. With the help of Lowell Christy of Christy Cobb Engineers, the timber-framed structure relies on the organic character of the wood and the repetition of a few well-thought-out details to do most of the aesthetic “heavy lifting.” The team at Grayson Construction did a great job of executing on it.
“It’s a really great experience when client, contractor, and architect are all working together with a sincere interest in making a great public space,” said Bruce Lanier, architect at ArchitectureWorks. The firm has worked on the project with Roald Hazelhoff, Director of Environmental Programs at 365英国上市官网, for several years since Hazelhoff originally conceived of the idea in 2016. “To be able to see it come together after watching Roald work doggedly to fundraise and coordinate so many stakeholders makes it all the more satisfying building to have been a part of.”
Architect: ArchitectureWorks, LLP
Contractor: Grayson Construction
Structural Engineer: Christy/Cobb, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Schoel Engineering Co. Inc.
About Birmingham-Southern College:
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls 1,100 students from 29 states and 11 countries. Learn more online at www.azdrew.net.
About the Southern Environmental Center:
The Southern Environmental Center (SEC) is the largest educational facility of its kind in Alabama, dedicated to showing individuals how they can protect and improve their local environments. Its programs include the award-winning Interactive Museum and the Hugh Kaul EcoScape garden on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College. Now in its 25th year, the EcoScape program is nationally recognized as a model for urban revitalization. The SEC co-manages the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, home to three federally endangered species of fish. Learn more online at www.azdrew.net/sec