Blog #4: The BRIT

At the BRIT

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, or the BRIT, is a Texas based research facility located in Fort Worth. The institute is a non-profit organization with a mission to conserve our natural heritage by researching and educating the public about the plant world [1]. They currently house around 1,000,000 plant species from all over the world and even have some species dating back to the 18th century. Their current research building is a LEED platinum certified building. The project cost around 70 million dollars. Every part of the building was designed with sustainability in mind. For example, they used bamboo for the inside of the roof. Bamboo only takes 6 years to mature into adulthood, so it replenishes rapidly. Another interesting example is they used something that, many years ago, was considered useless; Sinker Cypress. Sinker Cypress is wood that sunk to the bottom of a river and was left to rot. Instead of rotting, the wood was actually preserved underwater and was used as one of the walls in the BRIT. The building was built to the highest standards of sustainability, but what is the most sustainable about the BRIT is the research that takes place there. They research biodiversity. Since their location is in Fort Worth they are currently researching the local biodiversity. Attempting to recreate local prairieland is just one of their xeriscaping projects.

GOALS of the BRIT Campus

1. Reduce Energy: day lighting, photovoltaic panels (circular solar panels [pic]), and low energy fixtures

2. Water Consumption: low-flow and retention pond (designed to eliminate use of potable water)

3. Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality: low-VOC materials, certified wood products, wool and linen furnishings

4. Use Recyclable and Renewable Materials: recycled-content roof

This type of exploration into biodiversity will, in my opinion, lead to many advances into how we can coexist with our natural habitat. Sustained living is about living within the earth’s natural cycles. Those cycles are extremely dependent upon location, so knowing more about our local cycles is crucial in our success to become sustainable.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.brit.org/about/history

PICS:

[a] prweb.com

[b] statesymbolsusa.org