Sustainable Building Practices

Formerly Daniel Webster Family Farm
Plan NH Award

Sustainable Building Elements

• As part of their treatment, Webster Place residents farm two acres of fertile land, feeding themselves and the Webster Place staff
• Residents tap maples on the property to make syrup.  Wood that couldn’t be used in the construction serves as fuel for the boiling process
• Conservation of a mile of the Merrimack River and the farm’s open fields help maintain water quality, protects native fish and wildlife habitats, and provides for public access
• 3/4 of the original steam radiators were re-used
• Bricks were reused to make walkways
• Existing windows and interior doors were saved and re-used
• 20,000 square feet of manufactured “seconds” wood flooring was used
• Reconditioned furniture, sinks and toilets were used in the building
• Electric fluorescent or LED lighting with motion switches were installed throughout
• The old furnace was replaced with a chimney wood chip boiler to reduce heating costs for the facility

Golden Hammer Award, Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce

Sustainable Building Elements

• Geothermal heating/cooling system – ground source heat pump collects natural heat from the earth to keep the building warm in the winter and reverses itself in the summer to pull hot air out of the building and pump it into the ground
• Porous pavement in parking lot to remove pollutants from rainwater and snowmelt
• Walkways warmed by geothermal heat to reduce ice buildup and promote safer walking for customers without the use of toxic ice-melting chemicals
• BIBS^TM (Blow-In-Blanket System^TM) insulation system – provides blown-in insulation in the six inch exterior walls and one-inch layer of rigid insulation on the interior face

Sustainable Building Elements

• Geothermal heating/cooling system
• Significant building insulation – 4″ of rigid insulation at the lower level, and 2″ of rigid insulation at the upper level; supplemental insulation in the form of fiberglass batts and blown in cellulose; an R-21 vented nailbase added to the roof and supplemented with fiberglass batts below the roofline
• Triple glazed fixed windows

Sustainable Building Elements

• Complete rehabilitation and upgrading of two mill buildings originally constructed in 1836
• Installation of modern, energy-efficient windows throughout
• Salvage & reuse of materials original to building
• Lighting upgrades
• Insulation upgrades
• State-of-the-art heating and cooling systems and controls
• New roofing system

The Pilalas Center for Math and Science
Sustainable Building Elements

• Constructed on a previously developed site and conserving green space
• Water efficient landscaping (irrigating from pond) and native plant species
• Building with southern orientation
• Day-lighting – glass floors provide shared light through the center of the building
• Occupancy and daylight sensors for efficient energy use
• High efficiency mechanical system with energy recovery units to serve multiple buildings comprising Academic Row
• Air infiltration testing – tight building envelope with high R values
• Recycled building material from Randall Hall and new construction debris
• Local materials used in new building construction
• Low VOC emitting materials, adhesives and paints
• Granite in lobby floor from local quarries