Attachment_0009_-_Guidelines_Quality_Built_Environment.pdf

FIRST EDITION

GUIDELINES FOR A QUALITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT

BLMBLMBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

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Guidelines For A Quality Built Environment

Prepared for Bureau of Land Management by Belt Collins

DECEMBER 2010

First Edition

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2 - A HISTORY OF BLM AND ITS BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CHAPTER 3 - VISION AND GOALS

CHAPTER 4 - LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

CHAPTER 5 - PLANNING AND DESIGN PROCESS

CHAPTER 6 - DESIGN GUIDELINES

SITE

Site Planning Roads Parking Grading Drainage Vegetation Utilities

RECREATION FACILITIES

Campgrounds Picnic Areas Boating Facilities Overlooks & Waysides Trailheads Trails

STRUCTURES & ASSOCIATED SPACES

Administrative Offices Visitor Facilities Fire Facilities Maintenance Buildings & Wareyards Restrooms Shelters

Kiosks & Interpretive Structures

SITE FIXTURES

Barriers Site Furniture Signs

Lighting

APPENDICES

A Summary of Sustainable Mandates B GQBE Project Worksheet C Recreation Setting Characteristics Matrix D Project Lead, Review, and Approval Matrix E References F Acronyms G Acknowledgments

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Big Water Visitor Center, Utah

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INTRODUCTION

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution;

it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.

- William A. Foster

The purpose of these guidelines is to help ensure that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) facilities are attractive, functional, and sustainable. To accomplish these objectives, this guidebook:

1. Integrates guidance from related programs, directives, and best management practices.

2. Establishes easy-to use design guidelines for a variety of different facility types.

3. Addresses a diversity of settings that are representative of BLM public lands.

and guidance.

This effort to enhance the built environment affirms BLM's commitment to sustainable facilities that support the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. This guidebook is a valuable resource to assist BLM in creating quality built facilities.

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Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, Alaska

GQBE: GUIDELINES FOR A QUALITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT

GUIDELINES

This document establishes a clear planning process for Bureau of Land Management facilities and is intended to be used as a guide during the design process. Use of these guidelines will ensure that all BLM facilities meet the same high standard and that all BLM facilities represent a quality built environment.

The GQBE focuses on design guidelines for facilities that BLM regularly builds. The guidelines are divided into four categories:

The guidelines are intended to provide direction, yet stay fairly broad. They outline a thoughtful approach to planning and design that can be applied to any project regardless of scale or location. This approach allows for the flexibility to develop an appropriate design solution within a variety of settings. It will result in planning and design solutions that are responsive to the unique environmental and cultural circumstances presented by a particular site.

The GQBE does not address authorized land uses of non-BLM facilities (i.e., communication sites, energy developments, etc.).

Direction for those types of projects is contained within other agency guidance, although many of the principles conveyed in the guidelines would be applicable. The GQBE does not provide "cookie-cutter" solutions or detail specific instructions such as which materials to use for a given type or project or which family of site furnishings to select. It does, however, address how to make those decisions. Instead of providing specifics, the guidelines detail a planning framework, emphasizing the site planning process, within which all BLM facilities should be designed and constructed.

QUALITY

Quality is difficult to define but easy to recognize. For the purposes of this document, quality is defined as excellence.

Quality implies a sincere commitment to attaining the highest practical standard.

With regard to a quality built environment, several attributes must apply. A quality BLM facility is one that is:

costs associated with maintenance

• Beneficial to public health and well-being.

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The term "built environment" refers to the constructed surroundings that provide the setting for human activities. The built environment is all around us; it is the world that we inhabit every day. It includes the houses and offices where we live and work as well as the outdoor spaces where we relax and play.

Our perceptions about the built environment—how it looks, how well it is maintained, whether it feels safe—influence our ability to develop a deep attachment to a particular place and ultimately our desire to preserve and protect it.

The built environment of our public lands includes facilities such as campgrounds, roads, trails, picnic areas, visitor centers, comfort stations, and maintenance yards. This collection of built elements greatly influences how visitors experience public lands and how they regard BLM. Everything that is built conveys a message to the public about the values and mission of BLM and helps to cultivate a long-term relationship between the public and the public lands the agency manages.

GQBE Workshop - Review Meeting, ColoradoGQBE Workshop - Site Visit, Oregon

GQBE Workshop - Site Visit, Oregon GQBE Workshop - Site Visit, New Mexico

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WHO DEVELOPED THE GQBE?

WHY ARE THESE GUIDELINES NEEDED?

Over the course of its history, BLM staff and contractors have designed and built many excellent facilities on public lands.

Unfortunately, not all facilities can be held up as models of excellence. Deteriorating materials, mismatched site elements, inadequate budgets, and impromptu improvements all contribute to inferior facilities. By providing the necessary resources and tools to both staff and contractors, BLM can improve the quality of design solutions and provide a consistent level of excellence for all BLM facilities. Using these guidelines will not only improve the design and efficiency of BLM facilities, it will also help create a positive impression upon the visiting public.

The GQBE should be used by all involved in the BLM facility development process, whether staff, contractors, or volunteers.

It provides guidance not only for new construction, but also for redevelopment and renovation projects.

These guidelines establish a foundation for design and planning by:

• Providing a brief written history of BLM and conveying an understanding of the agency's design heritage

• Instilling a sense of pride and understanding of the history and future of BLM

• Establishing a clear and consistent vision and set of goals for BLM built environments

• Assisting in the analysis of landscape and architectural character and how to integrate design solutions with them

• Describing an appropriate and sustainable application of accessibility requirements

systems and various ways to reduce the impact of the built environment

Developing the GQBE has provided an opportunity to reconsider the image of BLM and to solidify the agency's commitment to quality design. This document is the direct result of input from many BLM stakeholders. Over a series of workshops, these stakeholders helped to define the foundation of the document and to review it as it evolved. Those in attendance represented a variety of disciplines and hailed from a wide range of geographic areas.

With assistance from BLM, Belt Collins, a landscape architecture, engineering, communication design and planning firm, was contracted to facilitate and synthesize the discussions that took place. These guidelines represent the culmination of those discussions. This collaboration between professionals from diverse disciplines and geographies enables the document to provide guidance on a wide variety of facilities throughout

BLM.

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Cannonville Visitor Center, Utah

Red Rock National Conservation Area Visitor Center, Nevada

Everything that we build conveys a message to the public.

-Allysia Angus

Chapter 1: Introduction explains the purpose and need for developing the GQBE as well as who was involved and how and by whom it is to be used.

Chapter 2: History reviews the history of the agency and its design heritage.

Chapter 3: Vision and Goals summarizes the vision and goals set forth to achieve the desired level of quality for facility development.

Chapter 4: Landscape Context outlines a process to be followed to identify and thereby respond to ecological, cultural, and landscape characteristics of a particular site.

Chapter 5: Planning and Design Process walks through each step of the process, from land use planning to construction and maintenance, assigning responsibilities to those involved.

It does this via graphics as well as by detailing each stage of the process for several projects of various scales.

Chapter 6: Design Guidelines highlights planning and design principles for an array of BLM projects, ranging from large administrative buildings to small kiosks. Images, graphics, and simple notes are used to convey much of this information in an easy-to-digest fashion.

Appendices include a GQBE Project Worksheet, references, acronyms, and acknowledgments. The Worksheet allows for documenting the project planning and design process from beginning to end, creating a reference to ensure its quality for the life of the facility.

If not us, who? If not now, when?

- John F. Kennedy

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE GQBE?

WHO SHOULD USE THE GQBE?

The GQBE was developed as a resource for all those involved in planning, designing, funding, building, or maintaining BLM’s built environment. Quality is everyone's responsibility, and this document addresses a wide variety of topics ranging from the creation of healthy work environments to the design of campgrounds and trails. Whatever the facility being built, the GQBE can be turned to for guidance.

HOW SHOULD THE GQBE BE USED?

The GQBE is formatted as a flip reference. The chapters are color-coded along the edge to allow quick location of the appropriate chapter. The GQBE should be referenced during all phases of facility planning and design as well as during construction and maintenance. It provides direction to everyone involved in facility development and can help facilitate conversation amongst internal staff as well as with contractors, volunteers, and the public at large. The guidelines should be used to focus all stakeholders on ensuring that BLM facilities are of high quality and reflect an agency that respects the public lands it manages and the publics who use them.

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HISTORY

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-USF34-004052, Arthur Rothstein, photographer, Apr. 1936, Farmer and sons fleeing a dust storm.

A HISTORY OF BLM AND ITS BUILT

ENVIRONMENT

In 1946, the Bureau of Land Management was brought to life through the marriage of two agencies in the Department of Interior: the General Land Office (GLO) and the Grazing Service.

President Harry Truman presided over the union by including the proposed merger in a plan he submitted to Congress.

Established in 1812, the General Land Office was formed to administer the “public domain,” the vast expanse of Federally held lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. The GLO’s primary purpose was to dispose of these lands—to oversee their transfer into private ownership in order to encourage economic development and settlement in the American West (Tisdale and Booth 1998, 1). Most of this land eventually landed in the hands of private citizens, corporations, and the states.

Of the remainder, a sizable portion became national parks

Severe drought, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricul-tural practices contributed to the Dust Bowl. One of BLM’s parent agencies, the Grazing Service, was formed during this environmental catastrophe.

and monuments, wildlife refuges, or national forests. Those lands not claimed for these purposes by 1946 were inherited by BLM. These circumstances gave rise to the notion that BLM administers “the leftovers”—the lands that nobody wanted.

While the quality of today's BLM managed public landscapes certainly suggests otherwise, it has been difficult for BLM to dispel this reputation (Allen 2002, 189).

In 1934, during the environmental catastrophe of the Dust Bowl, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Taylor Grazing Act, thus setting the stage for the creation of the Grazing Service. Prior to the Act’s passage, ranchers had appropriated a huge percentage of public lands in the West for grazing. By the early twentieth century, millions of acres were severely overgrazed. The Act’s primary objective was to heal these lands

THE ORIGINS OF BLM

General Land Office Created.

United States Forest Service created.

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McNeil River Campground, Alaska

At its inception in 1946, BLM inherited a daunting task. The fledgling agency was charged with enforcing thousands of laws and regulations—many of which conflicted with each other—not to mention the job of managing one third of the Nation's land. When Congress formed BLM, it simply combined the GLO and the Grazing Service without clearly defining the new agency’s purpose. There was substantial tension between the old objective of land disposal and the newer one of land management. BLM during this period has been characterized as “an agency in search of an identity” (Muhn and Stuart 1988, 54).

With its emphasis on extractive uses and grazing, BLM stood in stark contrast to other land management agencies.

Over the next several decades, BLM developed a reputation for accommodating the interests of miners and ranchers.

Conservationists protested what they viewed as poor management. They decried environmental degradation occurring on public lands and derided BLM as the “Bureau of Livestock and Mining.”

The 1960s brought fundamental changes to BLM as the environmental movement gathered steam across the nation.

During the tenure of Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall, BLM management emphasized the importance of planning in order to meet the nation’s long-term needs. BLM increased resource inventories of resources on public lands and invited the public to help determine how these resources should be managed. By the end of the decade, Congress and BLM had begun to better recognize the unique values of BLM lands, and to protect these values by designating special management areas—natural areas, recreation lands, and national conservation areas (Muhn and Stuart 1988, 105-106).

The Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), known

AN AGENCY IN SEARCH OF AN IDENTITY

A CLEAR MISSION FOR BLM

as BLM's 'Organic Act', became law in 1976 and identified multiple use, sustained yield, and environmental protection as the guiding principles for management. Through this legislation, Congress provided the BLM with a clear mission and removed most of the legal conflicts that had long burdened the agency.

Under FLPMA, public lands were to be retained in public ownership and managed so that scientific, scenic, historical, environmental, and archeological values would be preserved.

Furthermore, it dictated that BLM lands be inventoried for potential inclusion in the nation’s wilderness system, just as those under the management of the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) (Allen 2002, 57).

In recent decades, conservation and recreation have become and promote better management of the rangelands. It closed most public land to new settlement and gave the Secretary of Interior authority to place millions of acres into grazing districts.

The responsibilities of the GLO and the Grazing Service were intertwined, however, creating a confusing situation for land managers and land users alike. This fact contributed to the merger that created BLM.

National Park Service created.

Grazing Service created.

General Land Office and Grazing Service merged to form Bureau of Land Management.

19681967

1964 1968 increasingly central to BLM’s mission. In the 1990s, Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt was a powerful voice for BLM. Babbitt was influential in President Clinton’s decision to establish Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a new model for BLM. In the past, when national parks and monuments were established, management passed from BLM to the National Park Service. By contrast, Grand Staircase-Escalante remained under the jurisdiction of BLM. Babbitt believed that the agency should “have a sense of pride rather than…a bunch of inventory in the garage that is discovered and given to someone else” (Allen 2002, 163).

Additional BLM national monuments have been established since Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established. These special places protect and raise awareness for spectacular natural landscapes, rare plant and animal communities, and outstanding archeological and paleontological resources. Suddenly “the lands nobody wanted” are drawing legions of new visitors and being recognized for their exceptional values. Christened the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), these BLM lands include national conservation areas and similar congressionally designated conservation areas, as well as national monuments, wilderness and wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, national scenic and historic trails, and conservation lands of the California Desert. The NLCS was legislatively established through the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, affirming the importance of the System and its mission.

Totaling approximately 27 million acres, the NLCS includes some of the West's most spectacular landscapes and outstanding recreational opportunities. It includes some of the nation's most remote landscapes as well as extraordinary areas within close proximity to busy urban centers. The BLM manages these areas to protect their special values for the enjoyment of current and future generations..

AN INCREASING EMPHASIS ON CONSERVATION AND RECREATION

It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

-Federal Land Policy and Management Act

Passage of Wild and Scenic Rivers Act designated portions of Rogue River (OR) and Rio Grande (NM).

Red Rocks Recreation Lands (NV), BLM's first recreation area, designated under the Classification and Multiple Use Act.

Public Works Acceleration Act provided funding for first BLM campgrounds and day use areas.

Classification & Multiple Use Act.

Provided BLM's statutory multiple use authority for managing public lands.

Land and Water Conservation Fund established to fund the acquisition of outdoor recreation areas.

Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center, BLM's first visitor center, opened.

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Upper Centennial Resource Conservation Area, Arizona

HISTORY OF DESIGN

As the West grows ever more populated, Americans increasingly rely upon BLM lands for recreation. A broad spectrum of recreational uses occurs on public lands, including hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and driving off-highway vehicles.

These uses point to a growing need for visitor facilities of all types. Yet, in contrast to other land management agencies, BLM does not have a long history of design or an established design philosophy.

During the 1920s and 1930s designers in other land management agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, formulated a comprehensive philosophy for design in natural areas. Underlying this philosophy was the principle that man-made features should be subservient to the natural environment. In practice, this teaching gave rise to a distinctive style of architecture, engineering, and landscape architecture that came to be known as the Rustic Style. The Rustic Style stressed the use of native materials, irregular massing, and carefully crafted details in order to harmonize buildings, trails, and other man-made features with their natural and cultural settings. During the Great Depression, the style was applied to projects in national forests, national parks, and state parks.

Crews of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) laborers built hundreds of such facilities, typically working under the direction of a designer. Successful examples were compiled into design guidelines, which were widely distributed for others to emulate.

These documents laid the foundation for facility design in natural environments managed by the NPS and USFS. Such documents promoted the belief that design mattered and helped these agencies develop a unique and recognizable style.

Buildings and facilities constructed during this period improved the visitor experience and helped to define the image of a national park or national forest.

In contrast, a culture of design has not taken hold within BLM to the same degree. BLM was formed after World War II, just as the Rustic Style was beginning to be phased out in favor of a more modern aesthetic. Likewise, the fact that BLM manages more land with fewer people and less financial resources may also be a contributing factor to the lack of a strong design culture. Regardless of the reason, the result has been that quality and consistent planning and design has not always been a priority. Therefore, an important purpose of these guidelines is to foster and nurture a strong design culture within BLM.

Passage of the Federal Land Policy & Management Act (FLPMA). Defined

BLM's multiple use mission.

Iditarod National Historic Trail (AK), BLM's first National Historic Trail, designated.

King Range National Conservation Area (CA), first NCA, created.

Passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) required Federal agencies to assess environmental impacts of actions and mitigate adverse effects.

1980 1996

Ft. Benton, Montana

BLM manages more than a quarter billion acres of public lands throughout the western continental U.S. and Alaska, an eighth of the total surface area of the nation. This equates to more than double the total acreage of the national forests, and one and half times the acreage of the national parks and wildlife refuges combined. To manage this vast amount of public land, BLM receives less than $4 an acre, compared to budgets that range from two to six times that amount for the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or National Park Service.

Ten of the twelve fastest growing states in the country are in western states with significant proportions of BLM lands, increasing the demand from the public for everything from recreation to energy development. Thus, increasing demand for use of BLM lands, combined with limited budgetary support and very few design professionals within the ranks of the agency, exemplifies the need for these guidelines.

Policy now requires Federal buildings to meet goals related to reducing life cycle costs; improving energy, water, and materials conservation; providing healthy and productive work environments; and promoting environmental stewardship. In recent years, BLM staff and contractors have designed and built many quality facilities by referencing existing guidance related to sustainable development, visual resource management, and accessibility. In particular, BLM is emerging as a leader in sustainable design and green building.

The Craig Field Office (CO), Rawlins Field Office (WY), Escalante Interagency Visitor Center (UT), the Utah State Office (a leased facility), and the renovation of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center (UT) are recent BLM projects that meet these heightened standards and have garnered praise and awards from the U.S. Green Building Council and other organizations. These projects employ innovative techniques to reduce energy and water use, generate energy from sustainable on-site sources, recharge groundwater aquifers, and use recycled and/or locally harvested materials, thus signifying a new and promising direction for BLM.

Unfortunately, not all of the agency's existing facilities can be held up as good examples of quality design. From the first moment a visitor enters public lands, the visual appearance of BLM facilities and the surrounding landscape begins to form impressions. Every component of the built environment is an opportunity to communicate a clear and consistent message about BLM's stewardship of the land and the relationships between people and place. Every site feature, no matter how seemingly minor, in concert with the whole, can instill a respect and care for the landscape, the history and culture of an area, and the agency's commitment to sustainable development.

Whether it is the manner in which a campground or picnic area fits into the landscape setting, or the color, materials, and placement of seemingly everyday site elements such as trash cans, benches, or signs, BLM's built environment reflects the agency's image and identity.

The GQBE provides clear direction for facility design and development that contributes to a quality built environment for BLM—one that will reflect positively on the agency for years to come.

Yaquina Head (OR) Outstanding Natural Area, BLM's first ONA established.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (UT), BLM's first

National Monument, designated.

Bear Trap Canyon (MT) Wilderness, BLM's first Wilderness Area designated.

A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR DESIGN

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BLM- managed lands BLM- administered minerals underlying Federal surface (Excluding National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service units)

Tribal lands where BLM has trust responsibility for mineral operations BLM National Monuments BLM National Conservation, Recreation, and Protection Areas

PUBLIC LANDS MANAGED BY THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Headwaters Forest Reserve, (CA) BLM's first Forest Reserve, established.

Steens Mountain (OR) Cooperative Management and

Protection Area, BLM's first CMPA, established.

Guidelines for a Quality Built Environment

National Landscape Conservation System ratified by Congress.

National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) created.

Lands that were too parched for row crops, too steep, or otherwise undesirable became part of the public domain. What once could be called 'the lands no one knows' inevitably become the lands that everyone covets.

- John G. Mitchell National Geographic, August 2001

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VISION AND GOALS

Gold Butte Back Country Byway, Nevada

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VISION AND GOALS FOR BLM’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Consult the genius of the place in all.

- Alexander Pope

A vision for BLM's built environment was developed in the early planning stages of the GQBE. Through a series of workshops and meetings, internal and external stakeholders collaborated to refine that vision. Those in attendance represented a range of professions, backgrounds, and geographic locations related to their experience with BLM facility development.

The vision translated into goals that provide a framework on which to fashion the guidelines. These over-arching goals outline a broad philosophy for the planning and design of BLM's built environment:

The themes of quality, safety, and accessibility signify the core values within each goal and represent the three pillars upon which each goal is successfully accomplished.

This chapter explains the goals in more detail and draws connections to related programs and directives. In recognizing these goals, all projects, regardless of scale or budget, can be elevated to a place that represents quality within the built environment.

Red Rock National Conservation Area, Nevada

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Craig Field Office, Colorado

In support of our responsibility to manage diverse landscapes and multiple uses, BLM will provide safe and accessible facilities for the public and its employees that are sustainable, attractive, functional, cost-effective, and responsive to place and setting.

VISION FOR A QUALITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT

SUSTAINABLE

Sustainability is a concept that “recognizes that human civilization is an integral part of the natural world and that nature must be preserved and perpetuated if the human community is to sustain itself” (NPS 1994). This concept is at the heart of BLM’s mission; therefore, BLM should present models of sustainability in the built environment.

A sustainable development exemplifies the principles of conservation through a cohesive integration of buildings, site, and landscape. Buildings employ a high-performance core and shell, highly efficient mechanical and electrical systems, environmentally responsible materials, renewable energy sources, healthy indoor air quality, and other appropriate methods to reduce their environmental footprint. Sustainable sites respect natural systems, including soils, water, air, plant, and animal communities, honoring each site as a functioning component of a larger ecosystem.

BLM facilities will be designed and constructed with sensitivity to natural systems, to be durable, to require low maintenance, and to embody the efficient use of energy, materials, water, and other resources.

GOALS FOR A QUALITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Sand Island Recreation Area, Utah

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The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.

- Paul Hawken

In recent years, the Federal Government has strengthened its commitment to environmentally responsible practices such that green building is no longer merely a worthy objective but also a requirement. BLM and other Federal agencies are subject to executive orders and policies concerning a range of green building practices.

For additional information on sustainable design, consult these sources:

• Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets increase energy efficiency, reduce fleet petroleum consumption, conserve water; reduce waste, support sustainable communities, and leverage Federal purchasing power

BLM will construct and maintain an attractive built environment that projects an image of quality, value, and permanence.

Public lands are home to many spectacular landscapes.

BLM’s primary tool for protecting these scenic values is the Visual Resource Management (VRM) system. VRM measures the visual contrast created between built facilities and the natural setting rather than judging aesthetic quality. VRM is a to promote environmentally responsible products and technologies.

• This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings. This MOU, signed in 2006, established a commitment from all signatory departments and agencies, including the Department of the Interior, to exhibit Federal leadership in the design, construction, and operation of High-Performance and Sustainable Buildings. Included in the MOU are guiding principles related to optimizing energy performance, conserving water, improving indoor environmental quality, using integrated design, and reducing the impact of materials.

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC; www.usgbc.org).

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable design and administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

• National Park Service Guiding Principles of Sustainable Design 1993 (www.nps.gov/dsc/d_publications/d_1_ publications.htm). This resource provides a thorough discussion of sustainable design.

• The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™; www.

sustainablesites.org). SITES is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction, and maintenance practices.

See Appendix E - References (pg. 207) for a comprehensive list of green building references and sustainability mandates.

systematic process for evaluating and managing the visually detectable change to the natural landscape. One basic premise of VRM is that projects that repeat the design elements of the surrounding landscape (characteristics of form, line, color, texture, and scale) tend to be in harmony with the environment, whereas those that do not reflect the local influences create visual contrast and should be avoided.

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

Wildwood Recreation Site, Oregon

Functional BLM facilities are those that respond to stated purposes, whether recreational, informational, utilitarian, or, as is often the case, a combination of purposes. Functional facilities meet the needs of all intended user groups. Understanding not only the purpose but who will be using the facility is key to planning and designing a functional built environment. For example, what is deemed appropriate for a busy visitor center, may not be applicable to a remote trailhead. Understanding the purpose and the intended users of a particular facility allows planners and designers to craft a functional facility that is safe, accessible, and pleasant to experience.

The design philosophy that "form follows function" is applicable to BLM's built environment in that planners and designers should strive to understand how to efficiently and cost effectively provide adequate facilities relative to the purpose and intended users. Simple design solutions that function well are more successful than complex designs that fail to meet the needs of the day-to-day facility management needs and use.

Even though functional design is often not readily recognizable to the user, it helps to create a sense of comfort and safety that contributes to a positive user experience and encourages repeat visitation.

FUNCTIONAL

Form follows function—that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.

- Frank Lloyd Wright

BLM facilities will perform well in the capacity for which they were intended. They will be safe, accessible, and enjoyable to use, contributing to a rewarding experience for visitors and employees alike.

Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.

- Jonas Salk

Even though style and form may vary based upon the landscape setting in which they occur, all facilities will convey quality workmanship, materials, and design. Likewise, how well something is maintained also conveys to the public the importance and worth of the resource. A well-designed and maintained facility engenders a sense of value to both staff and visitors. An attractive facility will project a sense of permanence so that both built facilities and the natural resources surrounding them will be respected and valued for years to come.

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COST EFFECTIVE

BLM facilities will be financially responsible and include a consideration for whole-life costs. Appropriate investment of resources during design will advance both the quality and cost effectiveness of BLM’s built environment.

As a public land management agency, BLM has an obligation to use financial resources wisely. Prudent financial planning assures funding is available for both initial design and long-term management. Thinking in terms of life cycle or “whole-life costs” is an important step to achieving a cost-effective built environment. The primary value of whole-life costing is that costs that occur after an asset has been constructed or acquired, such as maintenance, operation, and disposal, become an important up-front consideration in decision making.

In contrast, focusing on the up-front capital costs of a project (such as acquisition, design services, and construction) fails to take into account the long-term costs of a facility.

When whole-life costs are not considered, initial savings may result in increased expenditure throughout the asset’s life.

When considering whole-life cost, value is rarely achieved through hasty design and lowest cost construction. Rather, quality of design and construction are emphasized. The aim of the GQBE is to help create places that last not only because they are durable and well constructed but because they evoke a timeless quality that will not feel dated within a few years.

This idea of creating lasting value is the cornerstone for a new paradigm at BLM, one which emphasizes quality over lower initial design and construction costs.

Proper allocation of funding for new or existing facilities sets the stage for a quality built environment. Preliminary budgeting can set a project up for whole-life success. If sufficient funding is available, a project has a better chance of achieving a quality outcome. Conversely, if inadequate funding is available, a project will undergo shortfalls in various stages of the process, including quality of design, materials, operation, and maintenance. It is important that decisions regarding funding take into account the needs that a facility will have both now and in the future. Funding allocation should consider that it is better to do less very well. This approach will ensure that all BLM facilities contribute to a quality built environment.

Big Bend Campground, Utah

“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive, and even spiritual satisfaction.”

- Edward O. Wilson

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Cannonville Visitor Center, Utah

RESPONSIVE TO PLACE AND SETTING

BLM facilities will be designed to harmonize with the environments they are located within, fully integrating with their unique natural and cultural settings.

BLM promotes and encourages the philosophy of context-sensitive design: the idea that in every case, the design solution should derive from the unique setting and particular set of circumstances. No matter what is to be built, design should respect the natural, cultural, and social context, from both an aesthetic and a functional standpoint. A quality built environment creates a sense of place.

BLM facilities should be environmentally responsible and should protect the night sky, topographical features, and hydrological systems. Structures, roads, and amenities should be seamlessly built into the landscape features, matching shapes, colors, and materials found in the vicinity. Development of facilities should not encroach on natural drainage and waterways.

Facilities should be responsive to regional, and site-specific climate patterns. Passive-solar orientation, a key sustainable strategy, is one of the most cost-effective energy-saving techniques available. Creating comfortable spaces both indoors and outdoors is as beneficial for a picnic area as it is for a visitor center.

BLM facilities should be in harmony with the form, line, color, and textures found in the surrounding landscape. BLM's Visual Resource Management (VRM) system should be utilized to help develop proper siting and design solutions accordingly so that all facilities meet established VRM objectives in the respective Resource Management Plan (RMP).

A quality built environment also recognizes the value of history and culture. Incorporating the vernacular is one way to interpret local stories; therefore design of features may reference past or present cultures and/or local architectural traditions. When located in cities or towns, BLM facilities should complement the architectural character of the surrounding community and offer practical benefits to residents. For instance, the vernacular architecture of rural barns may help influence roof design while the historic split rail fences or rock walls may inform design solutions for property perimeters.

Responsiveness to place and setting must also consider the range of access needs for all users. Creating a barrier-free environment in every facility type is challenging, but achievable.

Irrespective of the setting or type of facility, equality is expressed on BLM lands through dedication to accessible design. A quality built environment provides creative integration of the best practices and regulations pertaining to accessibility in a manner that respects the character of the setting while providing for a safe and comfortable visitor experience.

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LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

Wildwood Recreation Area, Oregon

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WHAT IS LANDSCAPE CONTEXT?

The nation’s public lands represent a staggering array of diverse and often unique landscape settings. It is important to evaluate the distinctive ecological and cultural forces at play at a particular place in order to understand the landscape setting embodied by these forces. Although hundreds, if not thousands, of distinct landscape settings make up this collection, it is helpful to identify some of the key landscapes that broadly capture the character and qualities embodied by BLM managed public lands. The following landscape settings reflect this geographic and ecological diversity: deserts, forests, plateau and canyonlands, mountains, plains and grasslands, and coasts.

LANDSCAPE SETTINGS

LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

An understanding of the landscape in which a facility will be constructed is the first and most important step in creating a quality built environment. The term "landscape context" describes the ecological and cultural forces that define and shape the natural and built environment, as well as the landscape character settings that contribute to the physical appearance of an area. In essence, landscape context refers to the character of place.

Quality BLM facilities demonstrate a conscious response to landscape context. These built environments are often comfortable, and the visitor experience of these facilities is strengthened by careful attention to the architectural and landscape character of the region. Also, facilities that respond to landscape context can be more cost effective through the use of local materials and construction techniques, and are likely more functional in that design solutions are informed by local climate and ecological considerations.

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MOUNTAINS

PLATEAU & CANYON LANDS

FORESTS

DESERTS

PLAINS & GRASSLANDS

COASTS

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Center, Nevada

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The following pages explain how to recognize primary influences contributing to the landscape context of an area so that these influences can inspire and inform the site planning and design of BLM's built environment. Those involved in the development of BLM facilities should complete the analysis outlined in this chapter prior to moving into the design phase of any project.

Completing this assessment in the early planning phases of a facility provides a solid understanding of the landscape context upon which all phases of subsequent design (site planning, conceptual design, master planning, and construction details) can be completed.

This section is organized into three analysis areas: ecological influences, cultural influences, and landscape character influences. Combined together, these three analysis areas embody the landscape context for a particular site.

HOW TO ESTABLISH LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

In order to establish the landscape context for a particular project, look beyond the boundary of a particular project area to better understand the regional patterns that influence the site. Understanding how a particular location relates to these

Ecological Influences

Cultural Influences

Ecological influences are expressed through the physical and biological attributes and process of the landscape, such as vegetation, topography, geology, hydrology, soil, climate and wildlife.

Cultural influences are expressed through the social and cultural values of a region as well as the human uses of the land, such as farming, ranching, industry and commerce, resource management, and art.

Landscape character influences can be analyzed by synthesizing the ecological and cultural influences of the surrounding landscape into the dominant patterns that make up the whole. These dominant patterns can be described in terms of four landscape character elements: form, line, color, and texture.

Landscape Character Influences regional influences is essential to understanding how the built environment should respond to the site, and helps ensure that the design will be well integrated into broader patterns of landscape and culture.

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• Landscape character influences of a particular region emanate from the natural elements in the landscape. Some landscape character influences to consider include the form, line, color, and texture of the native soil; vegetation;

and geological formations; as well as the structural forms, drainage patterns, and horizon lines.

• Landscape character influences should inform design responses that include paint color, material choice, color selection, architectural style, building massing and siting, composition of space, and trail and road alignment.

Form

Line

Color

Texture

Contemporary

Historic

Pre-Columbian

Development Patterns

Geology and Soils

Hydrology

Climate

Vegetation

• Ecological influences are expressed through physical features, natural processes, biological attributes, and regional characteristics of the landscape. These include native vegetation, topography, geology, hydrology, soils, wildlife habitats, precipitation, prevailing winds, and solar orientation and exposure.

• Ecological influences may inform design responses that include material selection, plant palette, green strategies, roof pitch, building orientation, set-back distances, and natural forms (biomimicry).

• Cultural influences of a particular region are shaped by human values and uses of the land, such as settlement patterns (rural, suburban, urban); art and architecture (prehistoric, history, contemporary); agriculture (farming, ranching); and industry (mining, timber harvest, energy production).

• Cultural influences may inform design responses that include building density, architectural style, site art, interpretive themes and exhibits, circulation patterns, and spatial relationships and viewpoints.

Ecological Influences

Cultural Influences

Landscape Character Influences

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, Utah

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, Utah

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Cultural: Building reflects the circular kivas of the Pueblo and Hopi people and mimics the adobe construction used in regional architecture

Ecological: Pergola structure provides needed shade, and use of drought-tolerant plants responds to the hot, dry environment of the region

Landscape Character:

Building form and mass echoes the rock formation in the background, and the color of stone used on the site and building matches the surrounding landscape

DOCUMENTING LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

When studying the landscape of a particular site, identifiable patterns emerge which help to define the character of the built environment. Responses to these patterns can be expressed in the built environment through both the architecture and the site design. Planning and design solutions which respond appropriately to this specific character result in a quality built environment.

The following pages are examples of BLM facilities which reflect a successful response to ecological, cultural, and landscape character influences.

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Cultural: Traditional rip-gut fencing functions as site barrier while also evoking local ranching and pioneer history, providing a living interpretive element Cultural: Petroglyph-inspired art is integrated into building facade, reflecting the local Paleo-Indian influences in the region

Cultural: Stepped form and rough timber posts evoke Puebloan culture

Landscape Character:

Building mass, form and color blend with landscape setting

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Cannonville Visitor Center, Utah

Sand Island Contact Station, Utah

Ecological: Roof is designed to provide shade in summer and shed heavy snows in winter

Ecological: Drought-tolerant native plants are appropriate for place and require low maintenance

Landscape Character:

Local stone facade color blends with surrounding landscape

Ecological: Cultural wall forms and earth bag structure uses local, low-cost materials and is a thermal insulator

Cascade Streamwatch, Oregon

Pompeys Pillar National Monument Interpretive Center, Montana

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Cultural: Building design takes cues from lines and forms of agricultural structures indicative of this area

Cultural: Posts incorporate carving detail inspired by traditional northwest Native American art

Landscape Character:

Curvilinear walk simulates the winding Missouri River

Ecological: Roof is designed to shed heavy precipitation in this rainforest setting

Ecological: Native plant restoration enhances habitat and provides a buffer between parking area and visitor center

Landscape Character:

Sinuous line of walkway, railing, and wall mimics the natural undulation of the adjacent Salmon River

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Rock Art Panel, Utah Sand Island Contact Station, Utah

Lewistown Farmstead, Montana Pompeys Pillar National Monument Interpretive Center, Montana

Building facade incorporates artistic reproductions of petroglyphs

Cultural Influence

Building form reflects that of local vernacular architecture

Landscape Character Influence

When documenting landscape context for a particular facility, it is important to study the particular relationships between the…