Blackstone Gateway Visitor Center
The Worcester Blackstone Gateway Visitor Center, a full-service, multi-use community facility that features a welcoming area, historic and cultural exhibits, a theater, restroom facilities, a passive recreation lawn, and office, classroom and meeting space, is as an active tribute to the multi-faceted culture of the Blackstone River Valley. IMEG designed all new MEP/FP and lighting systems, including heating and cooling; electrical service and distribution; full-site electrical; full-site plumbing; voice, data, and CATV; natural gas; sanitary waste and piping; domestic water distribution; fire alarm, security, and a ground-mounted photovoltaic array. This one-story building with an open floor plan and an elevated portion of that ceiling, is heated using a wood-pellet boiler system. Interior and site lighting have automatic controls to meet energy code and sustainability goals, and daylight harvesting is employed to facilitate additional energy savings.