Zion National Park 

Visitor Center 

A Sustainable Building 

for the Future

Zion National Park 

Visitor Center 

A Sustainable Building 

for the Future 

Highlighting 

high performance 

ince the time of the Ancestral Puebloans, visitors to the Zion 

National Park area have been awed by natural sandstone canyons, 

mesas, and rock sculptures. Carved by the Virgin River, the narrow 

canyon provided shade, cool breezes, and natural cooling in the summer 

and warm rock surfaces in the winter. In 1919, the park was established 

to preserve the natural beauty of the area for generations to come. 

In creating the Zion National Park Visitor Center, the National Park 

Service, working with the U.S. Department of EnergyÕs National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory, has stayed true to the tenets of protecting ZionÕs natural beautyÑby creating a sustainable building that incorporates the areaÕs natural features and energy-efficient building concepts into an attractive design, saving energy and operating expenses 

while protecting the environment. The visitor center, like Zion National 

Park, serves as an example of how the nation can protect its most precious resourceÑthe earth. 

S
Lighting Low-energy design and renewable 

energy at Zion Visitor Center The primary source of light in the Visitor Center is daylight. 

The buildingÕs energy management computer adjusts electric 

light as needed. No incandescent or halogen lights are usedÑ 

T-8 fluorescent lamps and compact-fluorescent lamps are much 

more energy efficient. The exit signs provide a gentle glow with 

solid-state LED technology that also consumes very little energy. 

N 

Cooltower 

Cooltower 

East 

December 

21 

South 

Solar 

windows 

West 

North Photovoltaic 

modules 

June 21 

Sun’s Path 

in the Sky 

Energy-Effcient Landscaping 

Landscaping, including shade structures and existing trees, 

creates an extension of the Visitor Center. These outdoor 

ÒroomsÓ for permanent displays allow for a smaller building 

design as well as lower capital and operation costs. Irrigation 

ditches provide most of the water needed for landscaping, 

saving pumping energy and water treatment. 

Windows 

Clerestory windows are part of the lighting system as well as a 

part of the heating and cooling systems. Computer simulations 

helped size the windows to collect the right amount of light. 

The sun enters in the winter, helping to keep the space heated 

(passive solar heating), and overhangs shade the glass from the 

high summer sun. A low-e coating on the glass reduces heat loss 

from the building while allowing light and heat to enter. 

The Visitor Center was designed to block the west windows 

from the summer sun. These windows are made from glass that 

diverts the sunÕs heat. A tree canopy also minimizes heat gain 

on summer afternoons. 

Low 

Winter 

Sun 

High 

Summer 

Sun 

Overhang blocks 

direct sunlight 

South windows accept direct sunlight 

to light and warm the building interior 

Indirect sunlight lights the building 

interior without warming it 
Natural 

Ventilation 

Clerestory 

Windows 

Photovoltaic 

Panels 

Trombe Wall: 

Glass 

Black Selective 

Coating 

Masonry 

Evaporative 

Pads 

Insulation 

The building is well insulated, designed to use 70% less energy 

than a typical building without costing more to build. The roof 

is made of structural-insulated panels. These panels sandwich 

a layer of rigid foam insulation between sheets of oriented 

strand board. The panels are tighter than standard frame 

construction insulation systems, keeping heat out of the 

building in summer and in the building in winter. 

The building also has foam insulation 

in wall cavities and insulated windows. 

Natural Ventilation 

The high clerestory windows help cool 

the Visitor Center by allowing hot air 

to escape while low windows near the 

doors allow cool air in. The buildingÕs 

energy management computer controls 

operation of the clerestory windows. 

Passive Down-Draft Cooltowers 

When natural ventilation is not adequate, cooltowers 

help bring the indoor temperature down. Water 

sprayed on pads at the top of the towers evaporates, 

cooling the air. The cool, dense air ÒfallsÓ through the 

tower and exits through the large openings at the 

bottom of the towers. The buildingÕs energy management computer controls the size of the openings at 

the bottom of the tower and can direct the cool air 

into the building, onto the patio, or both. 

Heating 

The Trombe wall provides most of the heating for 

the building. Heat from the sun is trapped between a 

pane of glass and a black selective coating. A masonr

wall stores the heat for release into the building later

in the day. Surface temperature of the inside of the 

Trombe wall can often reach 100°F (38°C). This warm

surface provides radiant comfort to the visitors. 

When the sun is not shining, radiant ceiling panels 

provide heat. 

y 

Photovoltaics 

Efficient design of the building eliminated large electric loadsÑ 

minimal lights and no air-conditioning. Photovoltaic panels 

(7,200 watts) on the south roof provide the majority of the 

electricity needed by the building. Excess power is sold back 

to the power company for use elsewhere. 

Some of the energy is stored in batteries. When the utility 

cannot provide power, the batteries provide power for 

ÒnormalÓ daytime use. Using photovoltaics in combination 

with utility power results in a highly reliable power source. 

Energy Management Computer 

A computer ensures that all the energy-efficient features work 

together, collects weather data, and makes energy decisions 

about the building. It controls the cooltowers, radiant ceiling 

panels, lighting, and windows. 

Panels 

Inverter A 

Battery 

Bank 

Uninterruptible 

Emergency 

Circuits 

PV 

Inverter B 

Loads 

Phase B 

Power 

Grid 

Utility 

Meter 

Solar Electricity 

2386902 

Loads 

Phase A 

foam 

1-inch air 

circulation gap 

roof 

ceiling 
Buildings for the 

21st Century 

Buildings that are more energy effcient, 

comfortable, and affordable ...that’s the 

goal of DOE’s Offce of Building Technology, State and Community Programs 

(BTS). To accelerate the development 

and wide application of energy effciency 

measures, BTS: 

n Conducts R&D on technologies and 

concepts for energy effciency, working closely with the building industry 

and with manufacturers of materials, 

equipment, and appliances 

n Promotes energy/money saving 

opportunities to both builders and 

buyers of homes and commercial 

buildings 

n Works with state and local regulatory 

groups to improve building codes, 

appliance standards, and guidelines 

for effcient energy use 

n Provides support and grants to 

states and communities for deployment of energy-effcient technologies 

and practices. 

Salt Lake 

City 

Zion 

National 

Park 

Provo 

Utah 

Springdale 

Visitor 

Center 

Zion 

Lodge 

Canyon 

Junction 

Temple of 

Sinawava 

Contacts 

U.S. Department of Energy 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

Clearinghouse (EREC) 

1-800-DOE-3732 

www.eren.doe.gov 

Office of Building Technology, 

State and Community Programs 

www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/highperformance 

Green Energy Parks Program 

www.eren.doe.gov/femp/techassist/ 

greenparks.html 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

Center for Buildings and Thermal Systems 

www.nrel.gov/buildings/highperformance 

U.S. National Park Service 

Zion National Park 

www.nps.gov/zion 

Zion Canyon’s 

Transportation 

System 

Transportation: The Key 

to Protecting the Park 

The first automobile road was built into the park in 1917, allowing 1,000 people a 

year to visit Zion. Today, more than 2.5 million visitors see the park annually. Because 

Zion exists in a narrow canyon, automobile 

traffic causes air and noise pollution as well 

as congestion that is detrimental to the 

parkÕs resources and visitor experience. 

As part of redesigning the visitorsÕ experience, transportation of the parkÕs visitors 

was an integral part of the plan. Clean-running propane buses were designed to shuttle 

visitors to nine stops in Zion Canyon and 

six stops in the town of Springdale, Utah. 

Visitors are asked to leave their vehicles 

at parking facilities outside the park. The 

buses dramatically reduce automobile traffic in the park, protecting the park and providing a pleasant experience for visitors. 

Zion National Park’s new 

transportation system relieves 

congestion and protects the park. 

OFFICE OF 

BUILDINGTECHNOLOGY, 

STATE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 

OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

AND RENEWABLE ENERGY 

Produced for the U.S. Department of Energy 

by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 

a DOE national laboratory 

DOE/GO-102000-1061 

Revised August 2000 

Photo Credits: large cover and back—

Robb Williamson, www.williamsonimages.com/PIX09221 and PIX09222;

cover inset—Paul Torcellini, 

NREL/PIX09128

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at 

least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste