Scharrs Bluff Gathering Center
Located at the Spring Lake reserve in Dakota County near Hastings Mn.
This building is referred to as a “Living Building”. The idea was to design a building that has the ability to respond to changes in the weather. The building ranks within the top 1% of all sustainable structures, as compared to the U.S. Green Building Council’s registered Buildings. The eyebrow shading over the windows blocks direct summer sun while permitting winter sunlight. The motor-operated windows located on opposite sides of the building and linked to the HVAC system allow breezes to cool or warm the building throughout the year. These windows are located in low and high positions and open and close automatically in order to provide cross ventilation. On hot days the shades automatically close to reduce cooling loads. Glass Type – 1” OA Insulated with Solarban 60 on #2surf. The doors are special 8 ft tall, we also provided the all-wood interior doors. The doors are equipped with custom hardware that can secure the building from a remote location. Architect – Meyer Scherer Rockcastle, Mpls MN Thomas Meyer / Sean Wagner / Brendan Sapienza Builder – Rochon Construction, Plymouth MN. Exterior Finish – Custom Jet Black Paint by Linetec. Interior Wood Species – Solid Pine