The new Battelle Environmental Center at KIPP Columbus serves as an educational space for students, a gateway to the natural environment, and a visitor center to celebrate students achievements and introduce other groups to KIPP’s natural resources.

The building sits on a hillside between the middle and high school buildings on the campus, and overlooks the sweeping landscape. A solid wall with a central glass entrance leads to a gallery space with workshops to either side. A large glass wall faces the landscape to the east and leads to the Environmental Loop, a walking path with platform waystations at 7 unique zones: the pond, the grasslands, the hollow, the Cottonwood, the forest edge, the council of trees, and the brook.