| |
Owner: Sisters of St. Joseph
Building Area: 586 square feet |
ABHA Architects was commissioned to renovate an unused chapel, the House of Loreto, on the grounds of Chestnut Hill College, as an office for the Director of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center. The renovations were designed to demonstrate sustainable design and renewable products. The mezzanine floor is finished in FSC red oak. The exterior walls and crawl space walls were insulated with a soy-based spray foam insulation. A geo-thermal heat pump conditions the new well-insulated office space. All finishes are low VOC emitting materials. The lighting fixtures use compact fluorescent lamps to save energy. The dual flush toilet and low flow bathroom fixtures conserve water use. The new roof received a white coating to reduce solar heat gain. A rain garden is designed to collect storm water runoff and recharge the ground water. |
|
