From the outside the Bellevue Youth Theater resembles a Tolkien hobbit hole. But the green mound spiked with light trumpets hides a state-of-the-art, super energy efficient theater and a program which is welcoming to all youth and senior citizens. The new building features a small black box theater, rehearsal & meeting space and an outdoor amphitheater. Ecotope provided HVAC and plumbing design, energy modeling, and LEED support. The project is targeting LEED 3.0 Gold Rating. The project includes an earth-sheltered super insulated envelope with a vertical bore ground source heat pump for heating and cooling and domestic hot water production. The HVAC system was integrated with the architecture, allowing a seamless and extraordinarily quiet design to allow the occupant’s focus to be on the performances rather than the mechanical system. Click here for more information on the theater.