Suffolk County Environmental Center

The Suffolk County Environmental Center was created through the historical restoration of the 1917 Scully Residence originally designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, best known for his design of the model housing community Forest Hills Gardens. Located on approximately 80 acres along the estuaries of the great south bay, the former mansion is the ideal home for its primary occupant, Seatuck Environmental Association, which has a mission to promote the conservation of long island's wildlife and environment through education, research and advocacy. Considering the location, use, and occupants, restoring the building to meet the standards of USGBC's LEED green building certification was an easy decision.

An extensive existing conditions survey was followed by investigation into measures that would be appropriate to the historical fabric of the existing building, as well as programmatic changes, code compliance, energy upgrades, and environmental concerns. In addition to pursuing LEED certification, the 13,000 square foot historical building renovation and restoration addresses energy efficiency, sustainability and a healthy interior environment that will be beneficial to the occupants, both public and private.

In addition to converting first floor public spaces into an exhibition space and a gift shop, the final design included A.D.A upgrades within the building as well as new public bathrooms and a kitchen that contain low flow and waterless fixtures. Upper level bedrooms were converted to offices and a caretakers space. Existing leaded glass windows that were vandalized were replaced with historically accurate replacements that incorporated energy panels to meet current energy codes and contribute to the buildings LEED Certification. Upgraded energy systems and environmentally preferable building material are used throughout. The unique challenge was to blend modern green building strategies and materials with the careful restoration of an early 20th century building.

The 80 acres of protected wildlife habitat form the foundation of the nature center. Roughly 30 acres are wetlands and marshes with the remaining land covered in scrub oaks and dwarf pines native to Long Island’s South Shore. The varied habitats become the outdoor classrooms and serve as the foundation for Seatuck’s educational offerings. Seatuck proposes to establish and maintain a series of nature trails, boardwalks and an observation platform. The Suffolk County Environmental Center opened to the public, with great acclaim, in March 2010. All waste-water is treated and infiltrated on site using a complex de-nitrification system modeled on the Living Machine developed by Dr. John Todd; this eliminates the burden on local infrastructure while demonstrating a more environmentally friendly way to address waste. A photovoltaic system, while not yet installed, is planned to help offset some of the electricity demand of the property.

See more about the Suffolk County Environmental Center, including events see the Seatuck website here.