Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center

This 4,500 square feet visitor center was the first of its kind for the Wyoming Department of Tourism and welcomes tourists into the state of Wyoming. This building comes complete with solar panels, rain water collection, high efficiency fixtures, and a geothermal system. A high level of rock excavation was required due to the site conditions. This facility represents the State of Wyoming to the traveling public, incorporating the fact that Wyoming produces more energy than it consumes. The architectural style represents the historic buildings in Yellowstone and the Lodge at Ranch A south of Beulah. LEED Principles used were local materials, low waste stream with SIPS walls and roofs, energy conservation, appropriate orientation for solar, wind, and views, as well as, alternative energy strategies, decreased energy use, low water use and low water natural landscape. We believe this is the first Zero Net Energy building to be constructed by the State of Wyoming. Its primary source of power is a 50KW array of photo-voltaic panels, roof-mounted so as to be fully integrated with the architecture. The primary source of winter heating and summer cooling is a series of 14 geothermal wells. The wells and geothermal system function year-round to transfer heat between the building and the wells.