PROJECT  Earl Conservation Center at Quiet Waters Park

LOCATION  Annapolis, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  12/16/2022

Firm(s): Ziger|Snead Architects 

Design Team Members: Douglas Bothner, AIA; Katelin Etoh; Jonathan Lessem; Christopher Brown; Claire Edelen; Alec Dumond

Client: Chesapeake Conservancy & Anne Arundel Co. Dept. of Recreation & Parks
Contractor/Construction Manager: Lewis Contractors

Landscape Architect: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects

Structural Engineer: Matteo Ferran Structural Engineers

Civil Engineer: WBCM, Inc.

Mechanical Engineer: James Posey Associates

Electrical Engineer: James Posey Associates

Photographer(s): Ziger|Snead Architects LLP
Additional project support: Flux Studio – Lighting Design, glenn@fluxstudio.net
Atelier Ten – Sustainable Design Consultant, leanora.paniccia@atelierten.com

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Earl Conservation Center at Quiet Waters Park is the future home of the Chesapeake Conservancy and like-minded environmental organizations, set within a 5-acre parcel gifted to Quiet Waters Park on the South River. The building unites mission, architecture, and ecology: a workplace, a public destination, and a demonstration of conservation practice. Developed through nearly 14 months of collaborative visioning with the Chesapeake Conservancy, the Earl family, Anne Arundel County, and neighboring communities, the Center is designed to achieve Net Zero Energy performance through mass-timber construction, passive design strategies, and a rooftop solar array. The site design restores damaged ecosystems, reestablishes biodiversity, and supports long-term resilience through regenerative landscapes and a living shoreline. The ground floor is fully public: a multipurpose room, conservation gallery, research library, and outdoor classrooms welcome visitors alongside the Conservancy's work. Upper-level offices for the Conservancy and partner organizations support collaboration while maintaining privacy. The narrow floorplate and central circulation allow daylight to reach nearly every workspace. A mass timber structural system of glulam beams and CLT panels significantly reduces embodied carbon compared to conventional steel or concrete. Timber elements are left exposed as finished surfaces. Passive strategies, orientation, natural ventilation, solar shading, and a central skylight reduce operational energy demand. A rooftop solar array is projected to offset nearly all of the remaining energy use. The Center is designed to model what it means to build in service of the land it occupies.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Meadow, Ziger|Snead Architects
2. Night View, Ziger|Snead Architects
3. Donor Wall, Ziger|Snead Architects
4. Aerial, Ziger|Snead Architects
5. Approach, Ziger|Snead Architects
6. Multi-Purpose Room, Ziger|Snead Architects
7. Gallery, Ziger|Snead Architects
8. Office Suite, Ziger|Snead Architects