Dusel Sustainable Sites Pilot Project

DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory) will take advantage of the decommissioned Homestake gold mine in Lead, SD to create one of the world's preeminent underground laboratories. The existing mine also allows for extensive access to deep levels of rock for a variety of biological, engineering and geological studies. The 186 acre surface campus includes a diverse collection of former mining buildings and infrastructure to be considered for future scientific and public outreach uses.

Planning and design for DUSEL provides a unique opportunity as a Pilot Project for the Sustainable Sites Initiative. The Pilot Project has a two year duration which overlaps nicely with the DUSEL design activity. The recently completed Landscape Assessment for DUSEL was organized around the Sustainable Site Initiative's approach. As the project moves into Preliminary Design, Design Development and Construction Specifications over the next two years the designers can assess the benefits and requirements of the Sustainable Site Initiative's criteria. In this manner the DUSEL team can both benefit from the Sustainable Sites Initiative and offer meaningful input into the Initiative's content.

Patrick Wyss, FASLA landscape architect consultant on the DUSEL design team notes that "The collaboration between DUSEL and the Sustainable Sites Initiative offers exciting benefits for the owner, the design team and the general public. By focusing on sustainable principles we can bring forward innovative recommendations concerning such features as soils, rainwater management, historic preservation, materials recycling, energy efficiency, community context and natural landscaping." DUSEL is owned and operated by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. The multi faceted design team working on the surface facilities at DUSEL partially includes CUH2A|HDR San Francisco, CA and Sioux Falls, SD, lead architect and civil engineering, Dangermond Keane Architecture Portland, OR laboratory planning consultant, Wyss Associates, Inc. Rapid City, SD site planning and landscape architecture, and Architecture Incorporated Sioux Falls, SD preservation architects.

View The SITES Pilot Project Website

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