The City of Boise’s Foothills Learning Center provides a place for interpretive and learning opportunities for the community to help raise the awareness and appreciation of the desert environment, the urban-wildland interface, and the challenges land management agencies face in caring for these unique lands. The center was built to model sustainable components for modern living in an arid and fire-susceptible environment.

In designing the Foothills Learning Center, architects modeled how the sun would affect the building during different times of the day throughout the different seasons. As a result, the building orientation and design and window placement maximize natural light while providing for passive solar heat in the winter.

Other energy-conservation features include:

• Energy-efficient windows, fluorescent lighting, and light sensors.
• A ground-source heat pump to heat and cool the building. Underground about 6 feet, the earth’s temperature remains about 55 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. The ground source heat pump takes advantage of the constant temperature for heating and cooling. In the winter, the air passed through the system needs to be warmed from only 55 degrees to room temperature (rather than warming outside air which can be near freezing). In the summer, air passed through the system is cooled naturally, eliminating the need for air conditioning.  
• A hydrogen fuel cell demonstration site. A 5 kilowatt fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, producing heat and water as byproducts. In the winter, waste heat is piped into the ground source heat pump, increasing the efficiency of the system.

The center provides activities for the local community including interpretive programs, community lectures, and school programs.

Contact Jennie Rylee at (208) 514-4845.

Information on this Web page represents examples of projects undertaken by the organizations only and does not constitute Departmental certification or approval of compliance at this or any other time with federal, state and/or local regulations, but is solely presented as an example of projects undertaken by organizations in order to prevent pollution and/or conserve resources.