Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is a visionary nature preserve owned by Goshen College through gifts from individuals in co-operation with the Nature Conservancy. Serving as a beacon for other wildlife sanctuaries, Merry Lea’s mission is to provide public environmental education, support private field-based habitat studies, and to remain sensitive in every respect to Indiana’s undisturbed ecosystems.

7group provided integrated planning and design services for the Rieth Village at Merry Lea, an ecological field station for environmental science majors consisting of two residential cottages and a third cottage that serves as a classroom and office building. These services included a design charrette, commissioning and LEED consulting. Commissioning services were of particular importance for this project; 7group conducted on-site installation reviews of all commissioned features and functional testing to ensure all systems were operating as planned, which included all HVAC and refrigeration, life safety, water, and sewage ecological-treatment systems; an uninterruptable power supply; and the integrity of the building envelope.

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A vegetable garden, a clothesline and several bike racks outside Rieth Village divulge the beginnings of its inspiring environmental features. A cleansing biotope planted with native wetland plants filters rainwater collected from roofs and other surfaces. Inside the cottages, a ground source heat pump with minimal ductwork lowers air distribution energy, and air conditioning is eliminated by allowing fan-assisted natural ventilation to cool the buildings. Water-conservation efforts include a rainwater cistern that recirculates water for laundry, and domestic hot water generated by a solar thermal hot water system. A photovoltaic array and a 10kW wind turbine generate electricity from natural sunlight and prevailing winds supporting the goal of life-cycle carbon-neutrality.