Posts Tagged ‘Sustainable Design’

Two months to opening day and, like the Yankees and Red Sox, we are working hard to get ready.   Last week we poured the concrete in the loading dock area and beer coolers – we had to wait until all of the geothermal and electrical lines were run and pressure checked.  And we finished laying the floor in the retail area and loft.   This week (and it’s only Tuesday) we’ve installed the beer cooler doors, built the stairs to the loft, installed two of the space heating units, and are continuing to install the lights.   Take a look:

Soon we’ll be back outside.  It’s been a long winter and we still have to finish laying the permeable pavers for the parking lot and sidewalks, top coat the asphalt, and finish the landscaping.  Once that’s all done we’ll move the existing inventory into the new store and get ready to open.

There will be a Grand Opening and a chance to tour the building.   If you are interested in coming please send us an email.  We will notify the owners and make sure that you’re invited.

Cheers!

Watch the recent NBC News Channel 10 report     GOING GREEN: PACKAGE STORE

The design and construction of the  Charlestown Package Store has been featured in recent front page articles in the Providence Journal and the Westerly Sun.

Read the articles –  GEOTHERMAL IN CHARLESTOWN and   DESTINATION PACKAGE STORE

Oyster Works has been featured in three recent Providence Business News articles.

MOYNIHAN TO AIA BOARD and   SUCCESS OF MARRIED CO-OWNERS and   GEOTHERMAL

Candelabra and Timber Frame

Geothermal Equipment

It’s 20 degrees outside, but we are warm and comfortable, thanks to our radiant floor heating.

16 separate runs of Pex tubing bring heat from the geothermal equipment in the basement to the retail area.  The Pex tubing fits into Warmboard – a subfloor that is specifically designed and engineered for radiant heat.

Having all of this tubing in the floor makes installing the wood floor a precise operation.   We are using Eastern White Pine  from a local mill that was delivered with a moisture content of approximately 10%. In order to minimize movement we reduced the moisture content down to 6% by air drying the boards in a heated environment (see the stack behind Tim and Jimmy).

We are then screwing and plugging each board – making sure each screw hole is perfectly in line and that we don’t drill through the Pex tubing.   6,000 screws and thousands of feet of tubing – potential disaster with every hole!! Careful work!

We are also building the racks and shelves that display the wine. Architect Megan Moynihan and cabinetmaker Stephen Demetrick go over the layout.

Oiled Beams

We are taking advantage of the wide open spaces – no wine racks or display cabinets, to paint the walls and oil the beams.  The beams are vertical grain  Douglas Fir and we are giving them a coat of Danish woodworkers oil to help protect wood.

The candelabra provides light and a soothing atmosphere for  Larry from Somers Painting as he applies the oil to the beams.

Larry from Somers Painting

Christoph Gross, Owner/Manager & Megan Moynihan, Architect

We are working on the outside – landscaping, paving the driveway and laying the permeable paving stones in the parking area. Saturday we laid the  2″ binder course of asphalt and next spring we will come back and lay a top course.

Permeable paving stones allow for water to be absorbed directly into the ground and greatly reduce the need for underground drainage systems or retention ponds.

Establishing the grades, setting the permeable pavers, and laying the asphalt are critical and we are fortunate to work with Morrone Excavation, Grandscapes, and Ed French & Son Paving.  In the picture above Owner/Manager Christoph Gross and Oyster Works’ architect Megan Moynihan check out the progress.