From Oct. 29, 2010 Cornell Chronicle article:
“With its light-filled atrium and lobby surrounded by walls of windows and skylights, the Cornell Plantations’ Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center was dedicated Oct. 28, culminating a decade of building and renovation projects at the Plantations. …
“The [LEED-certified] building offers interpretive exhibits in the atrium, a reception desk, fully accessible restrooms, a gift shop and small café (which will open in early 2011). The second floor, accessible by stairs and a low-energy elevator, houses a small conference room, kitchenette and a 100-seat multipurpose room that can be divided into two classrooms.
“Also, a new parking area and tour bus drop-off zone were built along Plantations Road in front of the center. The parking area was partly constructed with Cornell Structural Soil, which allows tree roots to penetrate beneath the pavement. Shade trees planted nearby are part of Plantations’ urban tree collection. Adjacent to the parking area, a bioswale and rain garden filters pollutants from parking lot runoff before the water drains into Beebe Lake.”