Center for Discovery

The Center for Discovery is a specialized facility for the advanced care and treatment

of children and adults with significant disabilities, medical complexities and autism

spectrum disorders. The site masterplan developed by Dirtworks supports the Center

for Discovery’s mission of enriching individual lives through personal accomplishment

by providing spaces for education, training, equestrian therapy, food production, and

pedestrian circulation.

The facility was built on the grounds of a former industrial agriculture site. By reusing

this brownfield, the project preserved nearby nearby farmland and reclaimed previously

damaged landscapes. With native trees, shrubs, and grasses supplementing the site’s

existing biodiversity, the surrounding landscape is now used for farming and grazing,

right to the facility’s doorstep. Bioswales are incorporated in the parking lot, providing

an economical and environmentally friendly way to manage parking lot run-off. Dirtworks

has continued to provide masterplanning and professional services on a variety of the

Center’s projects including the development of sustainable maintenance protocols.

The Health Center, a 27,000 square-foot diagnostic and treatment facility, was the first

licensed medical facility in New York State to implement green building standards which

met Department of Health requirements. The Carrus Insitutute is a certified training

facility, designed to instruct professionals who assist in the treatment and education for

those with autism spectrum disorders.

Location
Harris, NY

Completion
2005

Size
350 acres

Collaborators
Perkins + Will

Recognition
LEED Silver