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BACKGROUND
Since its acquisition by the AMC in 1931, Noble View
has been a rustic destination. For the many years that a tight-knit
community of Berkshire Chapter members enjoyed Noble View, the absence
of sanitary plumbing and washing facilities wasn’t detrimental to
folks’ enjoyment of the property.
We began to spread the news about Noble View
throughout the AMC and our
local community in an effort to make the property available to a larger
population of potential guests and users. The ease of travel to Noble
View makes it accessible to many who wouldn’t choose a remote
destination, and their expectations are higher. Many people aren’t
interested in spending a weekend at a facility that has no
potable water or sanitary facilities.
It became apparent that we would have to build a
bath house and ensure a
supply of potable water if we expected to serve the type of population
who’d be likely to use the facility.
The southwest corner of Noble View was affected by forest fires caused
by a lightning strike in 2002, and local authorities came onto the
property to fight the blaze. At the same time, the AMC was conducting
risk management audits of all of its properties. It was evident that we
had some health and safety code issues that we’d have to correct. Chief
among these was the absence of a potable water supply and modern
sanitary facilities.
In 2007, we blasted for the sepic tanks, septic
field, and bath house foundation, and we poured, insulated and
backfilled the foundation, and installed underground plumbing, propane,
and electrical work. Bath house construction was put on hold in the
fall of 2007 due to the delay of a construction loan that would have
allowed us to frame and close in the building before winter. We
insulated the foundation and underground plumbing to protect the cast
iron piping against frost heave, and hoped to proceed at full speed
once the ground thawed in the spring of 2008.
However, due to the absence of funding, we were not
able to
complete, and obtain
certificates of occupancy for, the bath house potable water supply and
septic systems prior to the May 1, 2008 change in regulations governing
these systems. Our existing well, now too close to the buildings under
the new regulations, had to be abandoned and decommissioned. We could
no longer use the design for the proposed septic field for which we
blasted in May, 2007.
Throughout 2008, Gary Forish worked on evaluating the percolation rate
of the soils in the facility zone (that portion of the property on
which development is not prohibited by the conservation
restriction), so
that a new septic field could be designed and permitted. With the help
and support of Tighe and Bond, one of the oldest continuously operating
engineering firms in New England, we reached a crossroads. A successful
perc test was performed in late 2008, and we learned that we’d be able
to site a gray water septic field in the meadow to the southwest of the
Double Cottage. The site was surveyed in December 2008, and Tighe and
Bond prepared a septic field design for submission to the authorities.
The plan was approved.
In 2009, we changed the bath house design to accommodate composting
toilets. This required the partial demolition and rebuilding of the
bath house foundation, the loss of the conduit and piping that was in
place, and excavation of a 17-foot-deep basement to accommodate the
composting equipment. We drilled a new well that tested out with a
yield of 3.5 gallons per minute, which is adequate for our needs.
The building’s walls and roof were framed in late 2009, and we
completed
the solar photovoltaic panel installation in February 2010, qualifying
for a $37,000 rebate from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Renewable Energy Trust’s Commonwealth Solar Program.
We installed windows and doors, then put
radiant heat
piping in place and poured a concrete floor over it. Once the heat is
up and
running, the bath house will be a more comfortable working environment
for interior
framing, rough electrical and plumbing, drywall, and finish electrical
and plumbing.
It feels as though the work is progressing very, very rapidly now, but
it’s important to remember that this project has been under way
for at least three years. Though we’ve experienced some disappointments
and
delays, there’s absolutely no way we’d be where we are on this project
were it not for Gary Forish’s commitment and steadfast perseverance.
Gary is skilled at working and running construction jobs, but it’s his
dogged determination that has brought us to this point. AMC’s Roger
Scholl has been the other part of the equation that will be the
successful conclusion of this project.
We’re on track for completion of the building in 2010. When we're done,
we'll be able to wash dishes at a real dishwashing station with actual
running
water, take showers at the end of a sweaty day--and best of all, we'll
be able to retire the outhouse!
Download the bath house
floor
plan.
An architect's rendering of the bath house:
Many thanks to Erica Gees of Kuhn Riddle Architects
for her fantastic work on this design project.
From foundation to rooftop, the bath house features
the latest in green building technologies and systems to conserve
energy and natural resources.
The concrete floor slab radiant heating, Solarwall heating and cooling
technology, and enhanced insulation will result in a 90% decrease in
energy use for heating. The exterior walls will provide an insulation
value of R30, and the roof has an R60 insulation value. The world’s
most energy efficient windows and doors, manufactured by Thermotech
Fiberglass, will complement the insulation.
Other green technologies
and features include composting toilets and on-site grey-water
disposal, passive ventilation with cooling, maximized natural
daylighting, and high-efficiency compact fluorescent lights and
light-emitting diode light fixtures. On-demand hot water will minimize
energy consumption during non-use periods. Roof-mounted solar electric
panels will supply electricity to the campus, as needed, or will spin
our electric meter backwards.
Clivus Composting Toilets and
Perc-Rite® Grey-water System
The bath house waste system utilizes composting
toilets and grey-water systems to fulfill the Water Efficiency
criteria. These foam-flush toilet fixtures, which look like
conventional flush fixtures, ensure user acceptance while using only
3oz. of water per flush. This cuts water used for flushing by over 97%,
as compared to conventional 1.6gpf (gallon per flush) toilets.
Additionally, Clivus composting toilet systems eliminate nutrient
pollution caused by conventional waste treatment technologies such as
septic and sewer systems.
To maximize water conservation, the Perc-Rite® drip dispersal
system will manage the grey-water from hand and dish sinks, and from
the showers. Drip dispersal irrigation provides the optimum conditions
for groundwater recharge to the receiving environment. By distributing
time-dosed, low-volume amounts of grey-water equally over the entire
absorption area, this technology provides for the controlled dispersal
of neutralized grey-water safely back into the environment. Although
grey-water is discharged at a relatively low rate, large quantities can
be distributed over long periods without saturating the surrounding
soil. And nutrients can be recycled back to the soil rather than become
a source of pollution.
Solarwall -- Simple and Effective
Solar Heating and Cooling
The Solarwall, mounted on the south elevation of the
building, will help to both heat and cool the building. Generically
termed a transpired solar collector, Solarwall is a thin, dark-colored
aluminum or galvanized steel cladding perforated by tiny holes,
enclosing a plenum between the cladding and the building skin. Air
drawn through the 1⁄32” (0.8 mm) holes is heated by the metal before
entering the ductwork of the building’s ventilation system.
On a sunny
day, a Solarwall can preheat air from 30°F to 54°F. On cloudy
days, diffuse radiation is collected, albeit at much lower efficiency
than direct solar radiation. Interestingly, the system’s efficiency
improves slightly at colder temperatures, because less collected heat
is radiated away. Adjacent snow cover also improves performance by
reflecting radiant energy onto the wall.
A duct running from each Solarwall through the men’s and women’s rooms,
and exiting the north wall, will supply fresh air depending upon the
seasons. In cold weather, fans will draw pre-heated air from the
Solarwall to provide “make-up” air to replace warm air that is expelled
through the bathroom exhaust fans. In warm weather, fans on the north
wall
will bring in cool exterior air, and exterior wall louvers with powered
control dampers along the east and west walls will also be utilized for
additional fresh cool outside air.
Solar Chimney – Hot Air Rises
A thermosiphon solar chimney will exhaust hot humid
air during the
summer months without utilizing electricity. During the daytime, solar
energy heats this black-painted steel chimney and the air within it,
causing an updraft of air within the chimney. This updraft creates
suction at the base of the chimney, resulting in naturally-occurring
ventilation of the hot humid air in the bath house and cooling the
building.
The chimney is connected to ventilation ducts in each bath area. In the
winter, the chimney will be closed by an insulated damper controlled by
a thermostat, and the bath house will be ventilated by conventional
exhaust fans. In the summer, the damper will open, and no electrical
energy will be needed to keep the bath house cool.
Solar Photovoltaic System
Between January 2008 and December 2009,
Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Solar rebate program awarded approximately
1,298 rebates for residential, commercial and municipal projects
capable of generating 23.5 MW of electricity - enough to power nearly
3,200 homes in Massachusetts annually.
Noble View was awarded a rebate for the installation of a 10.5 KW
photovoltaic system. This system will supply enough electric power for
5 houses, and will provide most of Noble View’s electric power. By
generating clean electricity through this photovoltaic system, we’ll
refrain from consuming power that otherwise would cause 6.8 tons of
carbon to be spewed into the environment annually.
A Green Building for a Green
Organization
The Appalachian Mountain Club, an organization
devoted to conservation and stewardship of our natural resources, has
built a bath house worthy of its principles. Careful planning and
design using the latest green technologies has brought us a structure
that will afford convenient, safe, and comfortable facilities to Noble
View visitors, with minimal impact on our environment.
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