Nashua’s 2nd Nature Academy Partners with Weller & Michal Architects and The Jordan Institute to Build New “Green” Facilities.
Keene
,
NH
,
December, 2006
: Nashua-based The Nature of Things has asked the Institute and architects Weller & Michal to help it achieve LEED™ certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its 2nd Nature Academy. The partnership will set goals for sustainable design/construction, applying criteria for LEED™ certification that will ensure the school provides a healthier, energy efficient, and more productive educational setting. Studies show that Green or Advanced Buildings lead to higher achievement for students, lower operational costs and reduced environmental impacts on the surrounding community.
“Using a Green curriculum model, we will guide children through the learning process of core curriculum areas through the study of habitats, wildlife, plant life, sustainable forest management, farming, and biodiversity,’ said Deborah Gleeson, Executive Director of 2nd Nature Academy. Our mission is to foster an appreciation for our natural world and to build a sustainable community through innovative approaches to learning.”
We are delighted that the Gleeson’s have engaged the Jordan Institute to help implement this project.” said Tom Weller, a LEED™ certified Principal of Weller & Michal Architects, who developed the Master Plan for the proposed campus. “The Jordan Institute will help us document sustainable building practices, including the use of super-efficient wall and roof construction, lighting and heating systems, and the use of recycled materials. Our design will maximize natural lighting, and avoid products that may contain toxins that may contribute to unhealthy buildings.”
“Cheap energy over the last 40 to 50 years has lulled us into designing and building schools that are not durably constructed, that waste energy and other resources, and that encourage unhealthy indoor environmental quality,” said Patrick Miller, Executive Director of The Jordan Institute. “The goals of the 2nd Nature Academy reflect a growing desire for buildings that provide excellent daylight and superior indoor air quality, along with energy and water efficiency.”
Weller
& Michal Architects Selected as Architect for New Corporate Headquarters
Keene
,
NH
,
May 23, 2005
: C&S Wholesale Grocers,
the country’s second largest grocery wholesaler, is moving forward with
plans to build a world-class headquarters facility in
Keene
,
NH
. . C&S has chosen the firm of Weller & Michal Architects Inc. to
design the 71,000 square foot project. The company plans to break ground
before fall this year. C&S is part
of the global economy conducting business in seven time zones and anticipates
continued growth through the next decade
Based in southwestern
New
Hampshire
, Weller & Michal Architects
specializes in institutional and commercial design. The firm provides full architectural,
planning and interior design services and has significant experience in green
design and energy efficiency.
Principal-in-Charge and Architect Charles
Michal is a licensed engineer and lighting
designer. Mr. Michal says the best
principles of environmentally aware design, as exemplified by the USGB
Council’s LEEDTM Program, and the
New
Building
’s Institute
“
Advanced
Buildings” Benchmark TM, will be employed in the design of the facility. Principal and
Project Architect
Tom Weller
, a LEEDTM Accredited Professional, noted that the design will also honor the history of
the company with symbolic references and architectural imagery.
Weller & Michal Architects assist with
Advanced
Buildings Design Manual
A consortium of interested
New England
utilities, public interest groups and government agencies has asked Weller
& Michall to organize the
New
England
review of the
Advanced
Buildings Design Manual being prepared by the New Buildings Institute. The
Advanced
Buildings Design Manual (ABDM) will emerge as major resource for both
architects and engineers, and will also serve as a coordinated component of
generic utility rebate programs and the LEED program of the United States Green Building Council.
The purpose of the
Advanced
Buildings Design Manual is to explain the basic, prescriptive and credit
criteria in the E-Benchmark™ document and suggests ways that designers
can produce buildings that exceed the E-Benchmark™ criteria. The
E-Benchmark™ rolled out in late 2003 and the companion Design Manual is
an essential step to accelerating widespread acceptance of E-Benchmark™
criteria through training and education programs. E-Benchmark™ was
developed by a national committee of manufacturers, contractors, building
owners, designers, property managers, government representatives, efficiency
experts and members of the public. It is a product of The New Buildings
Institute that provides:
A new, nationally recognized, comprehensive specification
manual for high-performance commercial buildings
Quantitative and descriptive specifications that exceed
state and national minimum standards such as ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2001
Guidance for design and construction professionals
seeking to deliver "best-in-class" energy efficiency and indoor
environmental quality in high-performance commercial buildings.
E-Benchmark™ serves as the all-inclusive handbook
for integrated design. The document:
Brings together over 30 criteria defining high
performance in building envelope, lighting, HVAC, power systems and controls.
Comprehensively covers every phase of the building process-from
pre-design charrette to post-occupancy performance
verification.
Ensures A&E professionals, contractors, and other
team members work together to build a high
performance building.
The
Advanced
Buildings
Design Manual will be usable as a reference for practicing architects and
engineers. The ABDM will benefit from reviews organized by the Northwest Energy Alliance and by
the Wisconsin Energy Center.
Sponsors
of the
New England
review include Efficiency
Vermont , National Grid
USA, Northeast Utilities , NSTAR and NYSERDA .
The
New England
review will join
other efforts to help insure the relevance of the ABDM to regional practices.
Obtaining the perspectives and comments of knowledgeable professionals with
current, relevant experience with commercial building design and construction
in the New England Region means the final product will be better. It means
that
New England
can confidently embrace this document
as a guide to creating best-in-class energy efficiency and indoor
environmental quality in high-performance commercial buildings.
Weller & Michal Architects Assist
Schools in
Southern New Hampshire
and
Vermont
.
In
Marlborough
,
NH
we are providing a Renovation Feasibility Study for the
Marlborough
Elementary School
. We will
evaluate the needs of the school including the major sub-systems for safety
and code compliance. In addition, we will explore ways of bringing the school
up-to-date aesthetically and functionally with contemporary public school
standards. Architects working on the project include
Jerry
Germer
and
Bill Fleming
.
The Dunbarton School Board in
Goffstown
,
NH
engaged Weller & Michal Architects
to prepare an Existing Conditions Assessment of their
Dunbarton
Elementary School
. This project
required an evaluation of both the building envelope and the building's
primary mechanical systems. The successful implementation of solutions will
be based on professional experience and conclusions drawn from on-site,
project-specific testing and monitoring. Team members include Building
Envelope Solutions, The Scott Lawson Group Ltd, and WV Engineering Inc.
Weller & Michal Architects have joined with
Cambridge
,
MA
based architects Symmes Maini & McKee Associates to provide Preliminary
Design Services for the
Springfield
Vermont
School District
's
elementary schools. The district wishes to attain information to support
Ballot Articles at the town's March 2004 meeting. The team will review of
basic space programming based on educational standards and provide
construction cost estimates.
Weller & Michal Architects recently attended the
dedication of the new Science
and Technology Building at High
Mowing School in
Wilton
NH
.
Weller & Michal Architects assist with EnergySmart Schools Design Guidelines
The NREL (the goverments'
National Renewable Energy Laboratory) asked principal Charles Michal to
review the Energy Design Guidelines for High Performance Schools.
Michal was in
Washington
DC
in the summer of 2000, with other architects, building energy specialists,
and educators participating in a round-table discussion about the U.S.
Department of Energy's development of seven climate-specific publications.
The building design criteria associated with the NH climate region will be invaluable in making the
design guidelines a more useful tool for school districts. The NREL solicited Michal's input based on his knowledge of building
design criteria and experience in the design of energy-efficient buildings.
Michal was asked to add additional comments to the document, which has
already been extensively reviewed by more than 70 experts in the field. As a
product of EnergySmart Schools, these school design
guidelines will assist school decision makers, architects and engineers in
the design and construction of new or retrofitted schools. The NREL published
these guidelines in the fall of 2002, both in print and on CD. In addition,
they are available to download on the web site www.energysmartschools.gov.
