Information about Green Building

Building Energy Conference

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Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference

Northeast Green Building Awards

Sustainability Series Workshops

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Recommended Books

Annandale on Hudson

Designer: Peter Reynolds

General Information: Environmentally-sensitive siting including preservation of trees, native plantings, and low-runoff site design; Geothermal heating and cooling system; Air-to-air heat exchanger for efficient heat recovery and healthy indoor air quality; Daylighting and light efficient-design; Use of local materials, including Eastern White Pine; Low-VOC paints used throughout; Pedestrian only zone.

Callicoon Center

General Information: This site is an organic, horse-powered farm open for educational tours year-round, by appointment. It includes a 10 kW wind turbine, and is due to have a new 7.5 kW photovoltaic system installed in time for the tour on 10/04/03. See the farm's web site for additional information.

Cornwall

Designer: Fox and Fowle

Construction Cost: $1.3 million

Square Feet: 9000

Builder: Storm King Contracting

Year Built: 1999

Fuel Type: Electric

Electricity Amount: $6000/yr incls heat

Window Brand: Marvin

Insulation Type: Fiberglass

Building Features:

• Geothermal heat pump
• Composting toilet
• Passive solar
• Solar cooling
• Photovoltaics

Other Building Information: Local wood and natural materials. Low site disturbance. Structrual insulated roof panels. DOE-2 computer modelling. Efficient lighting. Internal monitoring network.

General Information: The BRF Science and Education Center incorporates a large variety of “green” and sustainable design features in one structure. Visitors will see use of passive solar, geothermal heat pump, composting toilets, natural materials and other features working together to produce a highly sensible, environmentally sustainable, and energy efficient building.

Cottekill

Designer: Peter Reynolds of Ashokan Architecture, and engineered by Ross Dallard, structural engineer

Construction Cost: $96,000

Square Feet: 1500

Builder: Owner builder, Manna Jo Greene utilized a collaborative construction process (with some volunteer labor donated by community members), overseen mainly by Ron Clark and Andi Feron. Framing done by Ed Picard.

Year Built: 1999-2003

Fuel Type: Natural gas, wood

Window Brand: Andersen & Pella

Insulation Type: Double studded and strapped walls to allow maximum insulation (with truth window to demonstrate this). Walls are 8" thick and ceiling holds 12" of dense packed cellulose insulation (donated by Applegate); with careful air sealing this system saves up to 90% on fuel costs.

Building Features:

• Passive solar
• Photovoltaics
• Instantaneous hot water

Other Building Information: 30' x 30' multi-purpose space with cathedral ceiling and skylights, constructed of locally harvested, rough-cut lumber and many reused, recycled and donated building materials. Concrete blocks for foundation were salvaged from SUNY/New Paltz. Low toxicity materials were selected, and low or no VOC paints and adhesives.

General Information: The Hudson Valley Sustainable Communities Network (HVSCN) Sustainability Center is a multi-purpose building that will be used as a resource library, and meeting space for seminars and workshops (up to 50 people), a movement space, meditation space, gallery space, and for other related purposes. It will house our library of over $5,000 worth of books, videotapes, journals, etc. on sustainable agriculture, green building practices, economics, health and healing, spirituality, etc. The Center is a 30' hexagonal space with a cathedral ceiling with many skylights providing natural lighting. It's been superinsulated with recycled newsprint and is built of sustainably harvested, local rough cut. The radiant concrete floor is a very energy efficient method of heating and is supplemented by passive solar gain. Active photovoltaic cells mounted on the south facing roof provide electricity, with any excess sold back to the grid (net metering).

Highland

Building Information: Photovoltaic electrical grid-tie interface system (1.2 kW) with net metering with for electrical production and battery bank for back-up emergency power. DC-powered well-water pump; heat-recovery ventilator for improved indoor air quality and energy efficiency; compact fluorescent lighting; cellulose insulation; other energy conservation measures pending future renovation plans.

Newburgh

Construction Cost: $3,650.00

Square Feet: 1,880

Building Style: Ranch

Building Features:

• Photovoltaics
• Solar domestic hot water

General Information: Single-family ranch in multi-home suburb.

Rosendale

General Information: The town of Rosendale Community Center on Route 32 in Rosendale includes several cutting-edge green features including a geothermal heating and cooling system and lots of natural daylight. Overall, the building uses half as much energy for heating and cooling as similar buildings.

Warwick

General Information: This passive solar building was designed by the owners, who also installed some of the renewable energy systems themselves. It is a superinsulated, air-tight 1800 square foot house built in 1998, and it features: passive heat gain; attached solar greenhouse; 2.5 kW photovoltaic system with net metering for electrical production; 2 PV-driven thermal solar collectors for hot water heating; an air-to-air heat exchanger; a heat exchange tank to recapture heat from waste hot water (bathtub); radiant floor heating downstairs; sealed-combustion 90% efficient backup oil furnace for heating and hot water; rainwater collection from roof into cisterns; and 3000 square foot organic garden.