As the school year draws to a close, Nauset Construction will be putting the final touches on the newly constructed, environmentally-friendly 22-bedroom dormitory for Brooks School in North Andover, an independent college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9-12.
In addition to providing additional housing, the $3.3 million project created a learning opportunity for the students, whose ideas for sustainability were incorporated into the project’s design.
Recently named Chace House in honor of a long time trustee, the dorm was designed with input from the Brooks Institute for Sustainability, a student summer program focused on reducing the school’s environmental impact. Chace House will incorporate a number of elements vital to reducing operating and maintenance costs, including a heating system with a natural gas-fired burner that is 97.5% efficient; a high-efficiency building envelope with superior insulation to prevent energy loss; individual room thermostats with an automated system that can be programmed remotely; energy management systems with occupancy sensors; a cupola that releases warm air on hot days; solar lighting tubes in hallways that create natural day lighting; low-flow water facilities (including composting toilets) to reduce sewage bills; and drought tolerant native exterior plantings and water-efficient landscaping.
The facility will also feature high efficiency double-paned windows, a zinc roof (which lasts 80-100 years and requires no maintenance), zinc and clapboard siding, and a combination of hardwood, carpet and vinyl-tile flooring materials making use of recycled products where possible. Extra-thick insulation and sound-proof walls will also be built into each room to reduce noise. In addition to the sustainable features, the project will also include a 600-square-foot common area big enough for all building residents to gather; an outdoor seating area for students to collaborate with dorm faculty; a rear patio for cookouts and gatherings; and a small lounge/study area for after-hours homework help. +
Related Stories
| May 17, 2011
The New Orleans master plan
At an afternoon panel during last week's AIA National Conference in New Orleans, Goody Clancy Principal David Dixon and Manning Principal W. Raymond Manning shared their experiences creating the New Orleans Master Plan, a document that sets a new course for the city, from land use and transportation planning to environmental protection.
| May 17, 2011
Do these buildings look like buffalo to you?
It’s hard to contemplate winter now that we’re mid-spring, but when the seasons change, ice skaters in Winnipeg will be able to keep warm in plywood shelters designed by Patkau Architects. The designers created temporary shelters inspired by animal behavior—specifically, buffalo bracing against the wind. Check them out.
| May 16, 2011
USGBC and AIA unveil report for greening K-12 schools
The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects unveiled "Local Leaders in Sustainability: A Special Report from Sundance," which outlines a five-point national action plan that mayors and local leaders can use as a framework to develop and implement green schools initiatives.
| May 16, 2011
Dassault Systèmes to distribute Gehry Technologies’ digital project
Dassault Systèmes and Gehry Technologies announced that Gehry Technologies’ Digital Project products will be integrated into the Dassault Systèmes’ portfolio and distributed through Dassault Systèmes. Digital Project is a suite of 3D BIM applications created by Gehry Technologies using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA as a core modeling engine.
| May 11, 2011
DOE releases guide for 50% more energy-efficient office buildings
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the release of the first in a new series of Advanced Energy Design Guides to aid in the design of highly energy efficient office buildings. The 50% AEDG series will provide a practical approach to commercial buildings designed to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the commercial building energy code used in many areas of the country.
| May 10, 2011
Google hires Ingenhoven Architects to design new Mountain View office
The current Googleplex is straining at the seams and yet the company is preparing its biggest hiring surge ever, so Google decided now’s the time to build its own office space—a first for the Internet giant. The company hired Ingenhoven Architects, a German firm that specializes in sustainable architecture, to create plans for what could be a 600,000-sf office.
| May 10, 2011
Solar installations on multifamily rooftops aid social change
The Los Angeles Business Council's study on the feasibility of installing solar panels on the city’s multifamily buildings shows there's tremendous rooftop capacity, and that a significant portion of that rooftop capacity comes from buildings in economically depressed neighborhoods. Solar installations could therefore be used to create jobs, lower utility costs, and improve conditions for residents in these neighborhood.
| May 10, 2011
Dinner is now served…atop the Lincoln Memorial?
Take a look at the temporary restaurant sitting atop Brussels’ historic Arc de Triomphe-Triomfboog. The Cube, by Electrolux, offers 18 diners a spectacular view of the Parc du Cinquantenair, and is one of two structures traveling across Europe, making stops at famous landmarks in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and Russia. What do you think about one of these 60-tonne structures being placed on a U.S. memorial?
| May 6, 2011
Ellerbe Becket now operating as AECOM
*/ The architecture, interiors and engineering firm Ellerbe Becket, which joined AECOM in 2009, has fully transitioned to operating as AECOM as of May 2, 2011.
