Site Design

A typical sequence for major building projects is to grade the land to get a large, flat site and then construct the building in the center of the area. Not so with the EPA-RTP campus. Site designers assessed the forested areas, lake, slight hills and valleys. They then designed a building layout to fit the natural features, rather than the other way around.

The result is a campus with labs and offices in an East-West orientation to fit the site's natural contours. This approach greatly reduced the need for excavation and preserved sixty-year-old forests. By respecting the land, EPA made a choice that would demand extra attention to solar design - which always prefers a North-South orientation. Keeping tall stands of trees close to the office wings was one of many steps that helped mitigate the effects of East-West sun.

The highest point on our campus, a wooded knoll, was preserved when the entry road was constructed around the knoll's perimeter. The trees lend a feeling of permanence and help screen the enormous mass of the main facility, revealing it one building at a time.