Project

Science House

Type

Architectural

Location

St. Paul, MN

Share Project

Completed 2004, 2007

One of the first net-zero buildings in the U.S.

Team: Shelter (*See History Page), The Weidt Group

Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Accolades: MEI 2004 Environmental Initiative Award in Energy, One of the first Net-Zero Buildings in the U.S.

Completed in 2003, the 1,476 square foot Science House serves as a public laboratory, classroom, and special event space for the Science Museum of Minnesota’s outdoor science park, The Big Backyard. It is a model energy building on permanent public display. It is a zero emissions building that generates all the energy it needs from its 8.8 kilowatt photovoltaic-integrated standing seam metal roof. The building’s heating, cooling, and hot water needs are supplied by a ground-source heat pump that uses the earth’s thermal energy to heat and cool the structure. A Mezzanine was added in 2007 to provide additional education space.