Energy efficiency improves with new Mount Rainier visitor center

By Jeffrey P. Mayor | The News Tribune • Published October 09, 2008

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Friday's opening of the new Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center will complete a nearly $50 million, nine-year transformation of Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park.

"It's the final step of the renovation of Paradise. We've done the Guide House, built a new dorm, did the Paradise Inn and now the visitor center," said park superintendent Dave Uberuaga. "They're all going to complement each other really well and create a unified feeling at Paradise."

When the doors open, visitors will enter a much smaller building, but one that is more energy efficient and architecturally compatible with the alpine setting. Despite its size, however, the $22 million visitor center will be the educational and recreational focal point at the most visited destination at Mount Rainier. In a typical year, 450,000 to 500,000 people come to Paradise to see the wildflowers, take a hike, join a guided snowshoe trek, go sledding or climb the mountain.

Energy savings

The impetus for constructing the new visitor center was driven by the inefficient, decaying saucer-shaped original building sitting down the road.

The boilers used to heat the building and run the system that melted the snow on the flat roof guzzled diesel fuel.

"It took up to 500 gallons a day on the worst days when it was really cold and lots of snow," Uberuaga said.

"It was the poster child for energy consumption."

Park staff also knew the snow melt system had leaks, but the system's pipes, and 2,300 valves are covered with 8 inches of concrete making access and repairs fiscally impractical. A 1996 engineering study determined fixing the old building would cost nearly as much as constructing a new one.

The new center, nearly three years under construction, will serve as model of energy efficiency at Mount Rainier. Some of the energy savings will come from heating a 18,000 square-foot building. The original center was 60,000 square feet.

The steep slant of the new center's roof will allow the snow to slide off, eliminating the need for a snow melt system. A double insulated roof will ward off the cold. Double pane windows will reduce the impact of UV rays and heat loss. The system cooling the auditorium will use cold water from the Paradise snowfield.