Ohio 4H Center
Columbus, Ohio

The Ohio State University

Sustainable design in an arboretum

This new facility, to be located on the highly visible corner of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive, will be used by Ohio 4-H as a training and conference center and for the offices of State 4-H Leadership and Youth and Development faculty members. The site is sensitive, as it is in the University’s Chadwick Arboretum tree reserve and research center.
Of special interest are the energy saving aspects of the design. The 4-H Center will be the first building on OSU Campus to achieve LEED certification. This is particularly appropriate since stewardship of nature and the environment is a major thrust of 4-H. Environmentally friendly strategies in building and site design include: the use of a geothermal heating and cooling system, choice of materials, day-lighting strategies, minimal disturbance of land in the construction process, recycling of rainwater for irrigation, and absorptive paving.