Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

Children’s Village & Discovery Lab | Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne Botanic Gardens opened its doors to a new science center and an interactive garden for children. The mission of the Discovery Lab is to teach sustainable living to the next generation. The project incorporates many different strategies, from wind and solar energy to water conservation techniques. Recent calculations have proven these strategies optimize energy performance by 35 percent. The Children’s Village is the centerpiece of the Botanic Gardens and provides families and children with indoor and outdoor hands-on classes, displays, events and tours, all with an overall theme of sustainability. The Paul Smith Children’s Village and Lowe’s Discovery Lab was awarded LEED® Platinum certification, the highest achievable level of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

Path to Platinum
Day-lighting various spaces
Shading devices at south facing glazing in classrooms
Optimizing insulation levels in walls and roofs
Solar panels to run in-floor radiant heating
Natural ventilation
Vertical axis wind turbine
EnergyStar appliances
Waterless urinals/low flow lavatories
Fluorescent lighting operated by occupancy sensors, photocell sensors, and lighting controls
Irrigation system using non-potable water at night, and potable water during the day