Archive for the ‘Energy Efficiency’ Category

Tommy (LT) and Ryan finishing the tower

The project is about to turn the corner as we finish setting the last of the Climate-Block panels.  But first we have to construct the tower and stairwell that will serve the mezzanine areas. Tricky angles, tough cuts, and a fair amount of head scratching, but we got it right.

We constantlly make adjustments in the field and architect Megan Moynihan is often on site (in this case on the roof) working with the team and figuring out the best way to take what is on paper and bring it to life.

Tim Van Wormer and Megan Moynihan

The Charlestown Package Store will be heated and cooled by a geothermal system drawing water from three 450 foot deep wells.   Today we began drilling the first of the wells.

The first phase, until we hit bedrock at about 125 feet, involves digging the hole and keeping the hole open with drilling mud.   Once we hit bedrock we will set an 8 inch pipe into the hole and pump the mud out. (Yes, this is similar mud to what is being used to try to stop the runaway oil well in the Gulf of Mexico).   After we pump the mud out, we will attach a 6 inch bit and drill down through the bedrock to 450 feet.

The constant temperature of the water we pull from the wells will allow us to heat and cool the building efficiently and without using any gas or oil.   We will have more on the design and workings of the geothermal system in a future post.

The New Charlestown Package Store will be beautiful and green –  with a dramatic interior framed by Douglas Fir timbers, a highly efficient envelope built out of Climate-Block panels, a geothermal heating-cooling-dehumidification system, and very cool lighting.

Dramatic and cool, YES.  Easy to run electric wires, NO!  All of the wires are run in either the chases built into the wall panels, under the concrete floor in conduit, or in channels cut in the exterior of the roof panels.   All of this requires a lot of thought and often it’s best to get together at the construction site and go over the plan.  Below our lighting designer, Evelyn Audet, and electrician, Len Capizzano of Century Electric, meet to work out the details.

The entire building will be slab on grade with the exception of the wine storage room which has a full basement that will house the geothermal and electrical equipment.   The wine storage room will hold up to 900 cases of wine and the floor system had to be designed to carry all the weight.  Our structural engineer, Ernie George, consulted old design manuals for ships carrying rum (he also calculated the weight of the wine) and figured on a floor load of 200 lbs per square foot.

Two 7″ x 14″ beams support 12″ I-joists on 16″ centers.   To the right Tim Van Wormer and Breck Tully, of T and J Construction, are finishing the floor and laying out the basement stairs.

In the background Ca-Gin Concrete gets ready to pour the footing for the bearing wall in the beer cooler.

The walls and roof of the wine storage room, beer cooler, stair tower, and service entrance will be built entirely of Climate-Block panels and structural beams made of engineered lumber.  Below Ryan Gallant, Ed Joanis, and Traves Ogilvie meet with architect Megan Moynihan and engineer Ernie George to go over the details.

This morning we are working from the top to the bottom and pretty much everywhere in between.  In the big picture below the first of the upper roof panels is being set into place while the concrete truck pours the basement slab.

Meanwhile, on the lower part of the roof we are running the electrical wires and wires for the security and alarm systems.  We don’t want any exposed wiremold or electrical conduit so all ceiling mounted fixtures are being wired from the outside. This requires careful planning and skilled hands. To the left Sam Joslin, of Century Electric, confers with Dave Vinick, of Home Electronics.  To the right Len Capizanno locates the overhead fixtures.

And, while all this is going on up above, Ca-Gin Concrete pours the basement slab.  The blue foam blocks mark the location of the footings for the steel columns that will support the floor and roof structure.  Once the floor hardens the foam will be removed. And after the columns are set the diamond shapes will be patched and the concrete will secure the base of the columns.