Albuquerque Public Schools
The construction of Sandia Mountain Natural History Center (SMNHC) breathes new life into a program that has offered natural history and conservation education for over 50 years. The new SMNHC campus brings the classroom into nature – giving young and adult learners alike the opportunity to discover, protect, and participate in the conservation of our natural world today and into the next half-century.
This new space was thoughtfully designed and executed to achieve an off-the-grid concept. The campus is powered, heated, and cooled by a PV solar array system that transfers energy from the sun to over 60 batteries that distribute electricity to the Center and its HVAC system.
Large, operable windows bring nature into each building – creating a bright and open space with the ability to (quite literally) breathe the mountain air. An on-site well, pump and self-contained water filtration system serves potable water to the entire complex. Designed and constructed to achieve LEED Gold certification, this project brings the new SMNHC into alignment with its teachings of natural sustainability.
This new space was thoughtfully designed and executed to achieve an off-the-grid concept. The campus is powered, heated, and cooled by a PV solar array system that transfers energy from the sun to over 60 batteries that distribute electricity to the Center and its HVAC system.
Large, operable windows bring nature into each building – creating a bright and open space with the ability to (quite literally) breathe the mountain air. An on-site well, pump and self-contained water filtration system serves potable water to the entire complex. Designed and constructed to achieve LEED Gold certification, this project brings the new SMNHC into alignment with its teachings of natural sustainability.
The SMNHC is a three-building, new construction project comprised of a museum, eight administrative offices, staff kitchen, conference room, four restrooms, three classrooms, and a multi-purpose building compatible for meetings, conferences, workshops and other activities at the Center. The project also includes extensive site work (driveway and parking lot, over 300 feet of retaining walls, and ADA-accessible hiking trails and Center sidewalks), as well as utility work (potable water routing and connections).
Totaling 10,921 square feet, the SMNHC is an off-the-grid project jointly operated by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Albuquerque Public Schools. The project is a first-of-its-kind for APS with stand-out features including:
- Self-sustaining electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems that are powered, heated, cooled, and ventilated using a multiple-technology PV solar array system.
- An on-site well, pump and self-contained water filtration system that serves potable water to the entire complex.
- Construction of a hiking path in compliance with ADA standards for all students to enjoy.
- A 60-ft. steel bridge extending into the trees to put students at eye-level with the birds, insects, and other life that thrive above the trunk line.
- A “teachable” building – equipped with transparent sliding windows into the battery room and other building components, so students can learn how the sun makes this complex operate.
Sandia Mountain Natural History Center leads ecological science programs on-site for students in Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), Rio Rancho Public Schools, Estancia Public Schools, and Moriarty-Edgewood School District – serving over 12,000 students annually. The Center also provides various programs and seminars throughout the year for the community at large – including “Star Parties” for the star-gazing community, Wilderness First Aid and First Responder seminars for Search and Rescue Volunteers, various workshops on geology and ecology, and an on-the-job internship sponsored by the Student Conservation Association.
The project was designed by NCA Architects.
The project was designed by NCA Architects.